Amid all the posturing and the threats and the goofy trade rumors, most of us can stay rational enough to agree that somehow, some way, the Pittsburgh Steelers will soon make edge rusher T.J. Watt one of the highest-paid defenders in the NFL – again.

How much will Watt get? What about years and guarantees? What about where he will end up ranking amid the highest-paid guys in the game … and in the history of the game?

Here’s a new wrinkle …

Bleacher Report’s James Palmer is reporting as of Wednesday that the Watt number could be at the very all-time top, up and over the Cleveland Browns’ recent deal with Myles Garrett.

Color us skeptical … but let’s hear out Palmer …

“I’m hearing there’s a chance Watt gets past $40 (million APY(, which is something we’re really keeping an eye on, right? That if he gets that $40 million per year at the age that he is at. ” Palmer said on his NFL Insider Notebook. “He has every right to ask for it. I’ve talked on here a lot about the comparisons between him and Myles Garrett. The numbers are almost identical in every aspect in terms of superlatives and in terms of numbers, and they came in the same draft class.

“He has the right to try to get that. We’ll see.”

Whoa.

Says our NFL insider Mike Fisher: “With all due respect to the plugged-in Palmer, this take sounds like it comes from someone who just got off the phone with T.J. and his agent. … It kinda comes out of the blue.”

Watt is presently entering the final season of his $112 million extension signed just ahead of the 2021 NFL year At the time, the deal made Watt the highest-paid NFL defender.

On that extension, the edge rusher has received an average annual salary of $28 million.

But other defenders have blown past that historic deal over the past four years. Garrett signed a four-year, $160 million extension with the Browns this offseason.

And now? Either Watt is about to catch up with that … or his representation wants to float that trial balloon info out there.