Is T.J. Watt skipping the Steelers’ minicamp cause for alarm?
Prior to his not showing up, nobody thought T.J. Watt would skip the Steelers’ mandatory minicamp. I cannot, quite frankly, even guess as to who the last player under contract might be who did that here. Although it may evolve into a growing trend, players don’t often skip mandatory events.
And they very rarely do it in Pittsburgh, so when it happens, it’s easier to take notice. And for T.J. Watt to no-show on the Steelers is even more surprising, especially considering the past. Watt has already been through a lengthy contract process with the Steelers, after all.
Right before the news broke, I had a story scheduled to run about one beat writer saying he would be shocked if Watt skipped the Steelers’ minicamp, and that if he did, it would be cause for concern. We had to scrap it because, well, Watt’s no-show made it irrelevant.
But now we’re here, so what’s next? Back in January, Gerry Dulac speculated that the Steelers might get Watt’s contract done early. Whether they had any intention of that or not, I think Myles Garrett annihilated that possibility.
But is Garrett’s contract the elephant in the room, or is it something else? The Steelers made T.J. Watt the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history when he signed his last deal. Does he want to be right back up on the top, or is it about other things?
During his last contract negotiations, Watt pushed the Steelers to the brink, and they buckled. They guaranteed the first three years of his extension, unprecedented for them for a non-quarterback. Now he is older, though, and some worry about diminishing returns. At this stage of his career, are they reluctant to include those robust guarantees?
And should we be worried about any of this? T.J. Watt in no way needs to be at minicamp with his Steelers teammates, but what about July, or August? His decision to skip minicamp seems to be a bold step, and perhaps a glimpse into tumultuous negotiations. Is this a sign that we should expect this to drag on for as long as possible? Or maybe he just had a staycation planned.
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed, and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
