The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to be in a bit of a tough spot at the quarterback position with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, two guys who aren’t all that awe-inspiring.
There is no real end in sight, at least as far as an easy way out of things to address the quarterback position properly, such as getting one of the top ones in the NFL Draft, unless the suggestion is to bottom out entirely. That is something the Steelers simply won’t do, losing 11 or more games in a season.
It’s just not in their DNA.
FOX Sports’ Jason McIntyre knows this. So during his appearance on “The Herd” in place of Colin Cowherd Friday afternoon, McIntyre got a bit radical with his suggestion to help the Steelers and GM Omar Khan get out of the QB purgatory they seem to find themselves in.
Trade T.J. Watt.
No, seriously. That was McIntyre’s suggestion. Trade a future first-ballot Hall of Fame pass rusher at the height of his career, one who is on pace to be one of the greatest players in franchise history, just to get some draft picks to take a swing on an unknown quarterback.
“If you wanna turn things around in Pittsburgh and there is no end in sight the way this team is built, you have no quarterback for the future. Neither quarterback signed beyond this year. Here’s a radical idea. Sometimes you need to get radical. I think you gotta put T.J. Watt on the trading block,” McIntyre said, according to video via the show’s Twitter page. “And after your heads are done exploding in Pittsburgh…three-time Defensive Player of the year, 29 years old. Gonna turn 30 soon. And I know he is the most popular Steeler. He makes so many incredible plays….T.J. Watt can do it all. He is tremendous. So why the hell would you trade him? You’re trading our best defensive player.
“Because it’s not a defensive league! I gave you guys the numbers yesterday. Every playoff game that they’ve been to and gotten smashed in the last six years, they’re giving up 30, 40 points. So what’s the point of being built around defense?”
It might not be a defensive league anymore with high-flying offenses taking the league by storm, but having a great defense isn’t some sort of negative in today’s NFL.
To suggest that teams should just punt on defense is absurd. And that’s exactly what McIntyre is doing by suggesting the Steelers should trade their best defender just for a shot at some draft picks to fix their quarterback situation.
We’re not talking just some random defensive piece, either. We’re talking arguably the best defensive player in the league. McIntyre called him a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, which Watt isn’t. He should be though. He has just one of those, yet remains a truly dominant force, one who changes games in the blink of an eye with his ability to get to the quarterback and disrupt things.
You don’t just trade that away, especially in a player’s prime with a controlled cost like where Watt is, making $28 million a year. The Steelers’ identity is defense, period. It might not be what the talking heads like McIntyre want, but defense still wins championships.
Look at the Kansas City Chiefs last year. How good was that defense? Granted, more and more in today’s NFL you need the high-level quarterbacks to even get there, but you still need good to great defenses to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. You just can’t punt on it, and trading away your best player and a surefire Hall of Famer just for a shot at some draft picks is doing just that.
“T.J. Watt’s gonna get you two ones,” McIntyre said. “Now listen, I know T.J. Watt is beloved. He’s gonna be probably…you’re putting together a Pittsburgh Steelers all time defensive unit, T.J. Watt’s gotta be on there. Historically great player, game changer. And you trade him for two ones, even if it’s to a team like Atlanta, right? …A lot of coaches out there are desperate. Lot of teams appear close. Lions are close to a Super Bowl. Are they a piece away?
“Now listen, T.J. Watt’s gonna be pricey. You’re talking two number ones at the minimum, but guess what? Pittsburgh needs that desperately. They need the ammunition to go up and draft a quarterback.”
The Steelers might need the ammunition to go up and draft a quarterback in the near future. That is certainly a fair stance to take, because there is the belief that Wilson and Fields simply aren’t part of the solution for the Steelers under center in 2024 and beyond.
But I can promise you that part of the solution to fixing the quarterback situation post-Ben Roethlisberger is not trading the face of your franchise, a community pillar and arguably the game’s best defensive player just for a shot at some lottery tickets, which is exactly what draft picks are.
Watt isn’t going anywhere, period. Foolish thing to suggest for McIntyre. If it’s not a defensive league, why would teams pay a premium to trade for Watt? The argument makes zero sense any way you try to slice it.
He fired off his hot take and got his attention though. Guess that’s all that matters.
