PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers made star outside linebacker T.J. Watt the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player on Thursday, signing him to a pact that will keep the perennial All-Pro in black-and-gold well into his 30s.

T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to a record-breaking contract extension, making Watt the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

Watt, 30, was entering the final year of a four-year, $112 million extension that he had signed just before the start of the 2022 season. At the time, the extension made Watt the NFL's highest-paid defensive player.