The Pittsburgh Steelers announced Wednesday that they’ve designated OLB T.J. Watt to return from injured reserve.
The Steelers also declined to activate WR Calvin Austin III from injured reserve, which means his 2022 season is now officially over.
Pittsburgh now has 21 days to officially activate Watt or his season would be over much like Austin’s.
The expectation was that Watt could be back for their Week 10 game, so this news fits that timeline.
Watt, 27, is a former first-round pick of the Steelers back in 2017. He played out his four-year, $9.258 million contract and made a base salary of $1.72 million in 2020.
Pittsburgh exercised Watt’s fifth-year option last offseason for $10.089 million in 2021. He then signed a four-year extension worth over $112 million with the Steelers that included $80 million fully guaranteed at signing.
The Steelers recently restructured his deal in order to create $6.75 million in cap space.
In 2021, Watt appeared in 15 games for the Steelers and recorded 64 tackles, 22.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, three recoveries, and seven pass deflections.
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