Next week, the Pittsburgh Steelers will report to training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
There’s a great deal of anticipation around report date, not just the team returning to Chuck Noll Field for the 58th season, but for one particular player and what he decides to do.
That would be star pass rusher T.J. Watt.
Watt is eyeing an extension with the Steelers and reportedly hasn’t been happy with the way talks have progressed this offseason. He skipped mandatory minicamp, and now his presence at training camp is in question. Could Watt really not show up and hold out?
“I don’t know where his head is. I ultimately think this deal gets done,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko said Sunday night on KDKA’s No. 1 Cochran Sports Showdown. “I thought he would be there for mandatory minicamp as well. It would be one of the bigger distractions in recent Steelers memory at training camp if 90’s not there.”
Even in the midst of the contract negotiations, it was expected that Watt would show up to mandatory minicamp and at least get work in on the side, away from the team. That didn’t happen as Watt skipped out on the three-day camp, sending a message to the Steelers.
Since then, there’s been quite a bit of speculation surrounding Watt. From what his financial ask is to if he could be had via trade, it’s all been talked about.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio also stated last week that it’s “common sense” around the league that the Steelers are concerned about Watt’s tough close to the season last year, leading to the protracted contract negotiations.
Yet, there hasn’t been a word from Watt’s camp to this point. Reports are out there that he’s not happy with the pace of talks and hasn’t been thrilled seeing guys the Steelers have traded for like DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith get new money from the Steelers right away. Right now, Watt and the Steelers are reportedly “far apart” in talks.
But the general consensus remains that Watt and the Steelers will get a deal done and the star pass rusher will remain a member of the franchise for the rest of his Hall of Fame career. How long that takes though is anyone’s guess.
The last time Watt and the Steelers were in contract talks it took until right before the start of the 2021 season for Watt to sign a deal. That could be the case once again. A holdout could really generate some attention and make things a bit of a mess later this month.
