Contract negotiations between T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers may or may not be going well—or going at all. More often than not, the Steelers prefer to work out contract extensions later in the offseason, with relatively few exceptions. That doesn’t always work out in their favor, and players aren’t necessarily happy about it.
Last year, even Cameron Heyward, a Steelers captain, sat out some OTAs, unhappy with his contract negotiations. Now Watt is due for his next extension from the Steelers, so any action goes under the microscope. That includes an image he posted on social media, which some read as a threatening “farewell”.
To be fair, players frequently use social media to signal unhappiness in contract negotiations. Reporters of some credibility have asked around and came away with the impression that there may be something to Watt posting this image and the status of his contract discussions with the Steelers. But what does that matter in the middle of April?
“The money that was—I don’t know offered but talked about—might not have been the money that T.J. was expecting”, veteran Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan yesterday. Kaboly was the first reporter to offer any tangible connection between the Watt post and his contract status. “You could pretty much assume where T.J. wants to be”, he added, in terms of compensation.
That would be the mark Myles Garrett hit with the Cleveland Browns, which Kaboly called “grossly overpaying”. At the time of the deal, they gave him nearly $5 million more per year than any other edge rusher. Had the Steelers worked out a deal for T.J. Watt sooner, they could have gotten in before the market reset.
“I don’t think [the contract negotiations have] gotten out to a raring start”, Kaboly admitted, between Watt and the Steelers. “At this point, I wouldn’t worry much about it right now. I think it would eventually get done. There’s a ton of money out there.
“If this was August, maybe I’m worried. Right now, I’m not worried at all”.
When T.J. Watt signed his last extension with the Steelers in 2021, it took nearly the full offseason. It wasn’t until September that he finally put pen to paper. “Towards the end, I just said, ‘I’m so sick and tired of going back and forth, back and forth. They have a great deal on the table. Let’s just accept it and move on’”, he said at the time.
That’s probably worth keeping in mind before anybody goes into hysterics about the Steelers potentially losing Watt or expecting him to ask for a trade. Even if he did request a trade, the Steelers have no obligation to honor it. Sure, they may not prefer hostages, but when the hostage is T.J. Watt, you make him comfy. He’s not going anywhere.
