With less to say about Aaron Rodgers, the national media is focusing on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ next-biggest storyline. When will T.J. Watt sign his extension, and if not until late in the summer, will he miss training camp? NFL insider Albert Breer thinks it’ll be a moot point, predicting a contract will “probably” get done before the team reports to training camp.
“My feeling right now is they will get something done, probably before the start of training camp,” Breer said during a mailbag video for Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel.
Pittsburgh reports to training camp July 23 with the team’s first practice the following day.
Breer also called the chances of Watt being traded “very, very low.” An obvious comment but one floated following Watt’s minicamp absence that on the surface could suggest tension between he and the team. However, Mike Tomlin downplayed the situation, noting he’s remained in contact with Watt and is “optimistic” a deal would get done. Unlike Breer, Tomlin didn’t offer a timeline of when that could occur.
Though it’s become one of the national media’s biggest stories during minicamp, there’s not much else to say. Watt wants an extension and Pittsburgh wants to get a deal done. Everything else is just hammering out the details to make a contract work. When both sides are interested in a deal, it usually gets completed.
Ideally, an extension is brokered before training camp. That’ll put to rest any question about if Watt will show up for training camp or hold-out, a rare but pressure-intended move that has been exercised by players before. Even if Watt attends, a hold-in is likely until his deal is completed. That would follow the same path as 2021, Watt working on his own to the side and never practicing with the rest of the team.
“One way or another, I think T.J. is going to be ready to roll,” Breer said. “And ready to have a great year in 2025.”
Watt will look to capture the form he showed during the first half of the season, when he was the frontrunner for DPOY. Over his first eight weeks, he racked up 6.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Including playoffs, he had just five sacks and two forced fumbles the rest of the way and spent his final four games sackless. Those are numbers he’ll want to change in 2025. But the first number that must change is his salary.
