Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt still hasn’t been paid and that’s left a lot of Steeler fans nervous going into Sunday’s Week 1 matchup against Buffalo.

There’s the real possibility that Watt could not suit up in that matchup as he has hardly practiced at training camp or played in the preseason.

On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin spoke about the Watt situation to the media during his usual “Tomlin Tuesday” and he seems optimistic a deal will get done.

“I remain optimistic that something will get done from a deal perspective,” explained Tomlin. “That aside, I’m expecting him to work tomorrow. I’m proceeding with the assumption that he’s going to work tomorrow.”

One of the biggest holdups in the negotiations has been the guaranteed money, according to Gerry Dulac.

The Steelers have always been an organization that’s hesitant to give out a lot of guaranteed money and that goes back to the 1970s. If the 2 sides are able to get past that, Watt will be the highest-paid defensive player in the league, as Dulac also reports.

For Watt’s career, he has 230 combined tackles (168 solo) with 49.5 sacks, 17 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions.