Asked and Answered: June 20

BARRY KRIEBEL II FROM ALLENTOWN, PA: How many more years does T.J. Watt have left on his contract?
ANSWER: According to overthecap.com, T.J. Watt is under contract to the Steelers through the 2025 NFL season. He is due to earn $21.05 million in salary during each of those seasons and carry a salary cap charge of $30.42 million in each of those seasons.

BENEDIKT PRUME FROM BRANDENBURG, GERMANY: Is the rivalry between the Steelers and Ravens a continuation of the rivalry with the old Browns franchise, and then moved with them to Baltimore? Or did that only develop with the Ravens once they got to Baltimore?
ANSWER: I totally agree with the opinion that the Steelers-Ravens rivalry had its seeds sown during the last few seasons of Steelers-Browns. Pittsburgh and Cleveland had been paired by the NFL starting when the Browns came over from the AAFC for the 1950 season. Almost instantly that home-and-home series became a box office smash, with fans from both cities gladly traveling the Turnpike to pack the other franchise’s stadium even though the outcomes were often one-sided. Steelers fans’ suffering at the hands of the Browns shifted to glee in 1970 when their team started a 16-game winning streak vs. the Browns at Three Rivers Stadium.

In 1994, the Steelers had won the AFC Central Division with a 12-4 record by virtue of a regular season sweep of the Browns, who finished 11-5. Then in the AFC Divisional Round, the Steelers handled the Browns for a third time, 29-9, during a raucous environment at Three Rivers Stadium.

When the Browns became the Ravens, that still was Art Modell’s team, and Ozzie Newsome – a thorn in the Steelers’ side as both a player and executive – was still a key member of the organization. Also for the Ravens’ inaugural season in 1996, Marvin Lewis left the Steelers as the linebackers coach to take a job in Baltimore as the defensive coordinator. Those individuals, plus a few select players, kept the embers going…