Pittsburgh Steelers fans were caught off guard on April 9 when T.J. Watt posted a picture of himself on Instagram that appeared to send a cryptic message. Many were quick to speculate if this was a message about his future with the team or simply a post to try to get a rise out of fans.
Some prominent figures in the media don't believe we should brush this off so lightly.
On April 10, Mark Schlereth explained why Watt has every reason to be ticked off with the Steelers—pointing to the front office's attention spent on trading for and paying DK Metcalf before shifting all of their focus to Aaron Rodgers. Later that day, Mark Kaboly, the Steelers Correspondent for The Pat McAfee Show, urged fans to keep an eye on the situation, expressing that there could be something more to this.
Watt has been anxiously awaiting a new contract extension as he enters the final year of his deal. After witnessing Cleveland Browns All-Pro Myles Garrett reset the edge rusher market and rake in $40 million per season in new money average with $88.8 million fully guaranteed, the Steelers have entered nightmare territory with Watt's looming extension.
However, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't been quick to hand Watt the blank check he's been looking for.
Because of this—and the fact that Watt posted a picture of himself on Instagram giving the 'peace out' sign—fans have the right to wonder whether a contract extension will come at all. And if not, could the Steelers really do the unthinkable and trade him to another team?
Trading T.J. Watt isn't out of the question for the Pittsburgh Steelers (but it's unlikely)
This is a tale of two sides here, and it's not hard to see the reasoning from both.
T.J. Watt's party wants to rake in one more massive payday in the later stages of his NFL career. They know how productive he's been since entering the league in 2017, and they will attempt to make him the highest-paid edge rusher in league history.
But the Pittsburgh Steelers could have a long-term plan in mind. As incredible as Watt has been and as legendary as he will be someday, handing $40-plus million per season to a soon-to-be 31-year-old pass rusher coming off one of his worst season since his rookie campaign may not be a wise choice—especially for a team that doesn't even have a respectable quarterback at the helm.
Watt's best years are likely behind him, and instead of overpaying for past production, Omar Khan and the new front office could make a business decision for the future. If they were to trade their star edge rusher, the Steelers could turn the page to the next chapter of the franchise.
No team is going to pay a king's ransom in draft capital for Watt, knowing they will need to turn around him and hand him a lucrative contract. But trading him before the 2025 season to a team attempting to make a Super Bowl run could make sense for both parties. With the added draft capital, the Steelers could stock up on talent in the NFL Draft and prepare for their next Super Bowl window (which may not come for a few more years down the road).
Even if Watt is disgruntled, trading him feels incredibly unlikely. This would be a very uncharacteristic move from an organization that has always valued star players who can start and finish their NFL careers in Pittsburgh.
At most, it feels as if a contract dispute could linger until the start of the season. In 2021, just before Week 1 was about to commence, Watt marched into the facility and signed his new extension before going on to win the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year award.
If the two parties are far off in terms of contract talks, don't be surprised if something similar happens this year. The Pittsburgh Steelers are unlikely to send one of their best players in franchise history packing in a trade, but stranger things have happened, and this could get ugly.