Former Bengals Star Calls Out Steelers Haters

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers made waves across the entire league when they signed T.J> Watt to a three-year extension.

The extension made Watt the highest paid non-quarterback in the history of the National Football League. With an average annual value of $41 million across each of the three years, the Steelers paid handsomely for the services of the 30-year old.

One of the criticism ahead of the deal was the possibility of Watt not aging gracefully as he enters his 30s, and the Steelers sought to mostly dissuade talk of his age with the relatively short length of the deal.

One person who believes that the talk of his age is entirely irrelevant is a former top offensive talent in the NFL in Chad Johnson. Johnson believes that Watt's age will not prove to be much of a factor due to his high level play. Johnson made his opinion known on Watt during an appearance on Nightcap.

"I hate hearing people say, 'He's too old. He's over the hill," Johnson said. "What are we talking about here? We're talking about T.J. Watt. Because if it wasn't there, he'd get paid exactly that, maybe more, somewhere else. Stop playing. Because you know what you get. You know what you get with the product. He's not falling off no cliff no time soon. It's not happening. He's not one of those types of players."

There is no guarantee that Watt's contract will age well. It is an incredible amount of money across three seasons, in which the entire landscape of the team could change. It is a significant gamble. Yet, Watt remains one of the top defensive players in football both currently and historically.

It is also possible that the salary cap continues to climb and by the end of Watt's deal his contract will look like a bargain compared to the top free agent of that offseason. The only thing that can truly determine the sentiment around the trade is time, and the Steelers now have three years to wait.