TJ Watt didn’t report to the Pittsburgh Steelers' first session of OTAs. While it’s entirely voluntary, and he’s not the only one, given his current contract status, Watt may be sending a message to the Steelers’ front office.
Of course, Watt isn’t going to be traded, Art Rooney II said as much before. He’s also going to show up when it’s mandatory, though there’s a non-zero chance he “holds in” like he did in 2021. Nonetheless, the 30-year-old superstar is entering the final year of his four-year, $112 million contract without an extension.
Contract delay puts T.J. Watt’s long-term Pittsburgh Steelers future in question
While it’s neither clear nor obvious that Watt is disgruntled with the team (outside of that Instagram post, you know the one), few can blame him if he is. He’s one of the league’s premier pass rushers, he’s yet to win a playoff game, and the team has been struggling to answer its quarterback conundrum for a large chunk of his career.
The ongoing shenanigans with Aaron Rodgers likely don’t help. While the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback brings renewed hope to the franchise, whenever he decides to sign, the Steelers will likely make another quarterback change within the next few years. All the while, Pittsburgh seems stuck in neutral until the worst-kept secret in football is made official.
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The Steelers don’t enjoy off-field noise, but they’ve been prevalent in that market since Antonio Brown’s 2018 circus. Watt, as a cool and mostly quiet veteran, likely doesn’t want to fan the flames, but he has his career and goals to worry about, too. More to the point, he wanted his contract extension dealt with months ago.
Now that he isn’t at OTAs, the Steelers front office might have to consider handling the situation sooner rather than later.
Rooney did say they want to address his contract this offseason. But the clock is ticking, players are on the field, and the best player on the roster isn’t among them.