As one storyline ends in minicamp, another begins. Aaron Rodgers will attend his first Pittsburgh Steelers practice today, ending months of speculation of when he’d join the team. Instead, it’s outside linebacker T.J. Watt who won’t attend. Presumably frustrated by the lack of movement in contract talks as he seeks a long-term deal, Watt will reportedly skip the three-day mandatory session. NFL insider Mike Garafolo says it’s an intentional move to put some heat on the organization.
“[Ian Rapoport] and I are told, via sources, that his absence this offseason will continue into the mandatory portion of the offseason here,” Garafolo said Tuesday on Good Morning Football. “T.J. Watt’s serious about showing the team that he is serious about this contract extension that he has not gotten to this point. We have seen past rushers, including Myles Garrett, his fellow pass rusher in the AFC North, paid this off season.
“T.J. wants his pay at this point. Has not gotten it and is willing to be fined to prove a point right now.”
It’s a different approach compared to 2021, Watt’s previous contract negotiation offseason. That year, he attended mandatory minicamp and “held-in” during training camp, attending but not practicing with the rest of the team until an extension was finalized days before the regular season opened up.
Now, Watt is joining fellow divisional pass rusher Trey Hendrickson in skipping OTAs. Publicly, Watt’s situation hasn’t gotten as messy as Hendrickson’s but the point both are making is clear. They want to be paid.
As Garafolo notes and Dave Bryan outlines, Watt is subject to being fined. Teams have discretion to actually fine him or not and often, fine money is recouped once extensions are finalized, but he could lose out on over $100,000.
Reportedly, Pittsburgh has made at least one contract offer to Watt. Details of the deal aren’t known but clearly it is not to Watt’s satisfaction. The pass rusher market got hot this summer with multiple players getting paid and several more who could join that list. The biggest deal was the $40 million average yearly value contract Garrett signed. That didn’t just top the market but completely reset it and it’s reasonable to believe Watt wants to beat Garrett’s figure.
That might have complicated contract talks that otherwise should’ve been easy following the 2021 deal and the Steelers breaking a long-standing precedent of not offering guaranteed money past the first year to non-quarterbacks (something they’ve done several times now with FS Minkah Fitzpatrick and WR DK Metcalf).
The next line in the sand will be training camp. In 2021, Watt reported on time and held-in. Will he do the same if a deal isn’t struck by July 23, the team’s report date? That would still make the most sense, but Watt surprised many by not attending minicamp, a sign he’s willing to handle things differently and put more pressure on the organization this time around.
