The Pittsburgh Steelers have one future Hall of Fame pass rusher on their roster. Why not add another who could join him in Canton one day? T.J. Watt is coming off his fourth First-Team All-Pro season and he finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Cleveland's Myles Garrett for his efforts in 2023.
Now one NFL superstar is being linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time since exploding into the scene.
Former Defensive Rookie of the Year and All-Pro pass rusher, Micah Parsons, is patiently awaiting his lucrative new contract extension. Cowboys writer Clarence Hill Jr. reports that Parsons 'fully expects' to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
But that's not all. While Parsons told Hill he has no interest in playing anywhere but Dallas, the former Penn State product left the door open to join the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There's a reason for this, and his name is "Coach T."
Micah Parsons is interested in joining Mike Tomlin on the Steelers
This scenario is purely hypothetical. Parsons is going to get his bag with the Dallas Cowboys and reset the edge defender market in the process. But it's certainly interesting to note that -- even in a hypothetical situation -- he mentioned the Pittsburgh Steelers as a potential future landing spot.
It's not too hard to figure out why. Much like the Cowboys in recent years, the Steelers have struggled to find playoff success. But who doesn't want to play for Mike Tomlin?
Parsons mentioned Mike Tomlin by name as the reason why he would leave Dallas. In the process, he brushed off the Philadelphia Eagles (who happens to be the other NFL team located near his hometown in Harrisburg) as a potential future landing spot.
Tomlin seems to have this effect on players, and numerous signings in the past have cited Tomlin as their primary reason for joining the team. Still, even Mike Tomlin has never been able to reel in a fish as big as Micah Parsons. Can you imagine?
Sadly, this is nothing more than a fairytale. The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to keep T.J. Watt locked up for the remainder of his career, and he already has an excellent partner in crime with Alex Highsmith. These are all excellent things, but adding Parsons to the roster would make for a pass-rush tandem the likes of which the NFL has never seen.
Like Mike Tomlin famously said regarding leaving the NFL to coach college football: "Never say never, but never."