Is T.J. Watt sitting out of Steelers training camp essentially a holdout?

T.J. Watt has only been doing individual work at Steelers training camp. Is this essential his way of holding out for a new contract?

Although no one has openly said it, rumors have surfaced T.J. Watt has decided to sit out until the Steelers give him a new contract, as he is in the final year of his rookie contract. This latest story may shock fans who expected to see number 90 on the field when the season starts.

This latest news can be a little deflating based on what happened to the Steelers defensively in 2020. Having lost two Bud Dupree and Devin Bush for the season and a short-term injury to back up Robert Spillane, the Steelers defense face a lot of adversity in 2020. The one bright spot though was T.J. Watt, who led the league with 15 sacks. Watt has been a one-man wrecking crew throughout his whole career thus far, and it seemed little would change in 2021

Is T.J. Watt’s absence is a holdout?

As the Steelers approach the final three games of their pre-season we could have expected to see T.J. play a few snaps between the Eagles game and the Carolina game. That would not be highly unusual. No one wants to see T.J. have an unneeded injury in a meaningless game.

Then came the Freudian slip by Keith Butler when asked why Watt wasn’t doing anything in live drills. He replied, “Because you don’t want to get hurt when you’re trying to get your contract done….So I don’t blame him for that. I hope they get it done.” Brian Batko reported this in his August 7th article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

So is Watt’s absence from the practice field is a holdout? Well, yes and no. But that’s thanks to the NFL CBA. Here’s why he’s sitting out: