Those T.J. Watt trade rumors? Not worth the Internet paper they were printed on. With speculation over Watt playing somewhere other than the Pittsburgh Steelers officially put to bed on the heels of his agreement to sign a three-year contract extension, CBS Sports lead insider Jonathan Jones acknowledged trade talk was media fodder more than reality.
“All of that talk about could T.J. Watt could be traded,” Jones said on CBS Sports Thursday. “Of course, T.J. Watt was never getting traded. I understand we have to fill the vacuum in the summer. ‘Oh, potential landing spots for T.J. Watt.’ Listen, if your team is blessed by the Good Lord to have T.J. Watt at 31 or 23 or whatever age, you don’t trade T.J. Watt when you’re trying to be a GM.
“You keep T.J. Watt and keep him happy.”
Trade speculation ramped over in July but began early in the offseason. In April, Watt posted a cryptic social media post sharing a photo of him throwing up a “peace” sign after walking off the field of one of the Steelers’ games. It led many to believe Watt was saying goodbye to the organization and Watt’s lack of denial only fueled those rumors.
Skipping mandatory minicamp was another sign of Watt’s unhappiness. The final and most recent catalyst was Adam Schefter’s report teams had begun discussing internally opening up trade talks with Pittsburgh for Watt. Schefter’s report indicated the Steelers had no appetite to deal him and weeks after that report, the two sides struck a long-term deal that bolsters his chances of remaining in Pittsburgh for life.
The Steelers have been the No. 1 team in the headlines this offseason. The fireworks began by trading for WR DK Metcalf a day before free agency began followed by a three-month long pursuit to land QB Aaron Rodgers. Late June’s blockbuster trade dealing away FS Minkah Fitzpatrick for CB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith woke up a sleepy summer while Watt’s deal came on what’s considered the slowest day on the sports calendar.
Pittsburgh’s season will be full of questions and reactions. Whether or not Watt is on-roster is no longer one of them, though the odds of him ever being traded were always remote.
