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.

Watt, who was entering the final season of the four-year extension he signed in 2021, is scheduled to make $123 million over the course of the three-year agreement, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract had not yet been made public.

ESPN first reported the extension.

Watt appeared to celebrate by making a rare Instagram post on Thursday afternoon, sharing a picture of him flexing in his signature No. 90 jersey. Watt also posted a photo in his Instagram stories of him posing alongside protégé and third-year Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig.

The average annual value of $41 million eclipses the previous record contract for a defender set by Cleveland defensive lineman and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in March.

The value also eclipses the average salary of Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who became the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback after agreeing to a new contract worth $40.25 million a season.

The fact that Watt’s extension is worth 2.5% more per season than Garrett’s (whose overall total value of $204 million is still higher than Watt’s) is not a coincidence. Watt, the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year and a four-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, has long believed he is the best edge rusher in the NFL.

For the second time in four years, he’s being paid like it.

Watt, who turns 31 in November, took the unusual step of skipping mandatory minicamp last month in hopes of putting pressure on Pittsburgh’s front office to get something done. Head coach Mike Tomlin brushed off Watt’s absence, saying it was only a matter of time before things worked themselves out.

49ers sign 2nd-round draft pick Collins

The 49ers have signed second-round pick Alfred Collins to a four-year contract. Collins’ deal could pay the 23-year-old defensive tackle up to $10.3 million over the four seasons and includes $9 million guaranteed, according to ESPN, which first reported the agreement.

With training camp set to open next week, rookies have been at the 49ers’ facility preparing for their veteran colleagues’ arrivals. But Collins, who has not yet practiced with the 49ers due to a calf injury, remained unsigned until this week along with all but two second-round picks in the league.

The top two picks in the round, Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger and Texans receiver Jayden Higgins, signed fully guaranteed deals in early May, perhaps setting a new precedent in the NFL’s system that includes automatic salary slots for rookies based on their draft position.

Some national analysts have suggested that the signing of Collins, the 11th pick in the round and the 43rd overall selection of the NFL Draft, may break the deadlock.

His overall payout, according to Spotrac.com’s rookie scale sheet for the 2025 draft, is $10,296,326.

Collins had 142 tackles in 64 games over his five years at Texas. He was a second-team Associated Press All-American last season with 55 tackles over 16 games (all starts).

The 49ers had a hole at defensive tackle after releasing former prized free agent signee Javon Hargrave over the offseason.

— Michael Nowels

Chargers’ Williams decides to retire

Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams has retired from the NFL at age 30.

His agent, Tory Dandy, told general manager Joe Ortiz on Wednesday night, hours before the Chargers became the first NFL team to open training camp Thursday.

Williams signed a $6 million, one-year deal in mid-March to return to the Chargers for his second stint with the team. On Monday, he was placed on the physically unable to perform list with an undisclosed injury and two days later called it quits.

“It’s obviously a tough situation,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “Football, at the end of the day, is a game and there’s more to life than just football and I’m just hoping for the best for him.”

Williams played eight seasons in the NFL, including stints with both the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.

Miller signing deal with Commanders

Von Miller is signing with the Washington Commanders, with the NFL’s active sacks leader joining the team roughly a week before training camp opens.

Miller and the team have agreed on a one-year contract, according to a person familiar with the deal. The contract has not been announced.

“DC... What’s good?” Miller posted on social media with an automated image of himself in a No. 24 Commanders unform.

The 36-year-old edge rusher felt like he still had more to give after getting released by Buffalo in a salary cap-saving move in March. Injuries derailed his time with the Bills, limiting him to 11, 12 and 13 games each of the past three seasons.

Miller had six sacks last year to reach 129 1/2 in his professional career, which began with nearly a decade with Denver when he was a three-time Pro Bowl selection. He helped the Broncos win the Super Bowl and was MVP of that game, then won it again in the 2021 season with the Los Angeles Rams.

Chiefs WR Rice gets 30 days in jail

Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail after authorities said he and another speeding driver caused a chain-reaction crash that left multiple people injured on a Dallas highway last year.

The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office said Rice pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges of collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury in the March 30, 2024, crash. As part of a plea agreement, Rice was sentenced to five years of deferred probation and 30 days in jail as a condition of his probation, prosecutors said.

The judge will allow Rice, 25, to find a time or times to serve the jail sentence, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said.

Prosecutors said he was also required to pay the victims for their out-of-pocket medical expenses, which totaled about $115,000.

Rice was driving a Lamborghini Urus SUV at 119 mph when he made “multiple aggressive maneuvers around traffic” and struck other vehicles, prosecutors said.