T.J. Watt isn’t in Pittsburgh but that doesn’t mean lines of communication between him and the team are closed. After wrapping up a three-day mandatory minicamp that Watt skipped, head coach Mike Tomlin offered a calming word as Watt’s contract negotiations move into the summer break.
The PPG’s Brian Batko shared Tomlin’s thoughts following Thursday’s final practice.
Tomlin showed confidence a long-term extension with Watt will occur.
“I’m not going to get into speculation there,” he said via the Steelers Live Twitter/X account when asked if Watt would report to training camp on time. “You guys know what the negotiations is about. I’m optimistic we’re going to get things done because we got two sides who want to get things done. When that’s going to occur, I do not know.”
His comments are in line with those from national insiders. Mike Garafolo, Adam Schefter, and others have indicated the Steelers aren’t panicking over Watt’s absence and remain confident a long-term deal will get done. Expected posture from any franchise but a sign things won’t get as ugly as they have in Cincinnati where DE Trey Hendrickson and first-round DL Shemar Stewart are locked into messy war of words with the franchise.
It follows what owner Art Rooney II and general manager Omar Khan have said about their commitment of keeping Watt with the Steelers for his career. He would join a special group of “one-helmet” players in team history: QB Terry Bradshaw, LB Jack Lambert, and WR Hines Ward among others. Even legends like RB Franco Harris, C Mike Webster, and DB Rod Woodson can’t say that.
“There’s certainly been communication with him and communication between he and I,” Tomlin said of talks between himself and Watt. “But I have no intentions of sharing any component of it with you guys.”
Still, Watt’s status relative to when the team reports to training camp July 23 will be watched closely. If he was willing to miss a mandatory minicamp and subject himself to over $100,000 of fines, is he willing to do the same with training camp? Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if Watt reported to Latrobe with the rest of his teammates. Pittsburgh has a long-standing policy of not negotiating contracts when players hold out as WR Hines Ward found out in the early 2000s.
Even Tomlin admits a timeline for Watt’s extension is unclear. Ideally, an extension is struck over the six-week layoff. That would make Watt a full-go once training camp begins and could get ahead of deals for the Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons and Detroit Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson, two players also seeking extensions that could drive up Watt’s price tag. Typically, the Steelers get deals done last second and that should be the expected timeline with Watt. A contract struck anytime sooner will be a bonus.
