It’s been a busy, chaotic offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Trades for wide receiver DK Metcalf, defensive back Jalen Ramsey, and tight end Jonnu Smith created major headlines, while the signings of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and cornerback Darius Slay moved the needle.
Right or wrong, the Steelers, are trying to compete for a Super Bowl in 2025. For one former NFL quarterback, none of what the Steelers did this offseason will matter unless star outside linebacker T.J. Watt is extended and on the field this fall.
“Well the biggest thing is you do all these transactions in the offseason. You’re patient for Aaron Rodgers, you draft some really good players like Kaleb Johnson to help the run game, you bring in DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, everybody’s getting paid and if they don’t get T.J. paid guys, all that’s a wash,” EJ Manuel said Wednesday during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up. “I’m sorry, I just don’t see this team, like I said, getting to a playoff or even a playoff win if you don’t have the cornerstone piece of your defense.
“T.J. Watt is that good of a defensive end, and you look at the quarterbacks in that division along with some of the receivers. If they’re not getting pressured, you have no chance. And so I think it’s so important at this point, I would hope it gets done this week guys, that they get T.J. Watt there.”
The Steelers have been aggressive this offseason. They made some difficult moves, like trading away Minkah Fitzpatrick, and they didn’t overextend themselves financially to secure Justin Fields at quarterback. Instead, they remained quite patient and waited out Rodgers, landing the future Hall of Famer on a cheap one-year deal.
Along with Rodgers, Slay is on a one-year deal, fitting into the window of the aging defensive core with Cameron Heyward and even Watt, who is entering his age 31 season.
While the offense remains relatively young outside of Rodgers, the Steelers are very clearly in win-now mode, trying to do everything in their power to push for a Super Bowl this season, of which they seemingly believe they are close to competing for.
None of it will truly matter though if Watt isn’t on the field. He’s unhappy with the way things are playing out with the contract negotiation with the Steelers, and he’s reportedly prepared for every outcome within the contract talks, whether that’s signing an extension, holding out, or being traded in unexpected fashion.
It’s not all that ugly just yet, but it has the potential to get reach that point if the Steelers don’t handle this business correctly. They’ve handed out new money to trade acquisitions like Metcalf, Ramsey and Smith, which seems upsetting to Watt as he continues to wait for his new deal.
Both sides want to get it done, which is important, but they are reportedly not close, and there doesn’t appear to be any movement anytime soon as there is still three weeks until the start of training camp.
They’ve been aggressive all offseason. Now they need to be aggressive with Watt and secure the franchise icon’s future. If not, none of what the Steelers did this offseason will matter.
