By WILL GRAVES

AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt skipped the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, sending a not-so-subtle message to the only team he’s ever played for about his desire to iron out a new contract before next season begins.

The four-time All-Pro and 2021 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year is about to enter the final season of the fouryear extension he signed in September 2021. The $112 million pact made Watt the highest-paid defender in the league at the time.

That number has been eclipsed several times over the past four years, including by Cleveland star Myles Garrett, who signed a deal in March that made him the most well-compensated non-quarterback in the league at $40 million a season.

“Certainly we’d like him to be here, but certainly not surprised by where we are,” Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said.

“We’ve expressed the desire to get the business done, he has as well, and so we’ll continue to work.

We’ve been here before.”

The decision to skip minicamp is a change from Watt’s approach in 2021, when he did a “hold in” during both minicamp and training camp before agreeing to a contract on the eve of the regular season.

Tomlin said he’s not concerned about Watt’s long-term future in Pittsburgh and declined to comment on whether Watt gave the organization a heads-up that he would stay home in Wisconsin rather than join the other 89 players on the roster, including recently signed quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Watt tied an NFL record by getting 22 1/2 sacks after signing his current extension. He led the league in sacks again in 2023, though that number dipped to 11 1/2 last season, Watt’s fewest in a year in which he didn’t miss extended time because of injury since he was a rookie in 2017.

Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin believes Watt’s absence will provide opportunities for younger players such as third-year outside linebacker Nick Herbig and rookie Jack Sawyer.

Maybe, but neither has Watt’s game-changing resume. Watt, who turns 31 in October, is the linchpin of a defense that has helped keep the Steelers in contention despite heavy churn at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement in January 2022.

Rodgers will get his chance after agreeing to a one-year deal last week.

The four-time NFL MVP went through individual drills but spent most of the session chatting with his new teammates and following along on a play sheet.