Just a few hours after shockingly trading standout safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for defensive back Jalen Ramsey, tight end Jonnu Smith and a late-round pick swap in 2027, the trade speculation surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers remains loud.
This time, it’s focused on star pass rusher T.J. Watt, who is in the midst of negotiating a new contract with the Steelers and is seemingly unhappy with how things have played out so far.
According to ESPN Insider Adam Schefter, with the Steelers making the blockbuster move Monday, sources believe outside team interest is likely to increase given today’s trade.
“In recent weeks, multiple teams have been discussing whether they can trade for Steelers’ standout T.J. Watt, who skipped the team’s most recent minicamp. Pittsburgh hasn’t shown any willingness to deal Watt so far, but he’s unhappy with his contractual situation and sources believe outside team interest is likely to increase given today’s trade,” Schefter tweeted moments ago regarding Watt.
With Watt skipping mandatory minicamp in mid-June while unhappy with his contract situation, having watched the likes of Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby get big deals to reset the market, speculation has run rampant that Watt’s future in Pittsburgh is in doubt.
The Steelers haven’t said anything about Watt’s contract other than GM Omar Khan stating he wants Watt to be a one-helmet guy and a legacy Steeler like Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, and head coach Mike Tomlin even said during minicamp that he has no concerns about Watt’s future in Pittsburgh.
NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero made it even clearer Monday afternoon.
The #Steelers have no intention of trading star pass rusher T.J. Watt and their focus remains on extending Watt’s contract, per sources,” Pelissero wrote on X.
That won’t stop teams from at least inquiring, which is standard business practice for any competent GM. Of course teams are going to reach out now that the Steelers traded Fitzpatrick and shook things up. Watt remains one of the best pass rushers in the game and is unhappy with how negotiations are playing out. Other GMs could see that as an opening to start negotiations.
It would make sense that outside interest could increase, but there’s no signs that the Steelers are even entertaining trading Watt, nor should they. All of the focus is on getting Watt a new contract, keeping him as a Steeler for life, and pursuing a championship in the Steel City, starting in 2025 now that Aaron Rodgers is under center, giving Pittsburgh its best quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
Schefter’s report on X Monday afternoon came just a hour or so after he reported on The Pat McAfee Show that Watt isn’t pleased with the stall in talks, and that he believes Watt and the Steelers aren’t particularly close in negotiations.
“Everybody just has assumed rightfully that the two sides will figure it out, but I don’t think they’re very close right now. And I don’t think that he’s particularly pleased,” Schefter said of Watt on the McAfee Show. “Now, it could change just like that and they could figure out a way to get it done, but you know what? They just gave Jonnu Smith more money. They just gave Jalen Ramsey more money. They haven’t given T.J. Watt more money. And you just wonder how that’s going to play out here in the coming weeks.”
He raises a good point about the Steelers handing out new money to the likes of Smith and Ramsey right after acquiring them. It’s the same thing the Steelers did earlier this offseason with DK Metcalf. That could have potentially irritated Watt, who has given so much to the franchise and accomplished quite a bit individually, while the new players getting money from the franchise have never worn a Steelers uniform in a game yet.
If that’s the case, it’s valid from Watt, and a real concern with how Khan is conducting business. Every NFL Insider — Schefter included — believes a long-term deal will get done with Watt and the Steelers, keeping him in the Black and Gold for the rest of his career.
But right now, things aren’t looking all that good, and it’s a bit concerning, opening the door just slightly for further interest in Watt from the outside.
