After the Pittsburgh Steelers’ blockbuster trade on Monday to acquire Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Steelers and T.J. Watt weren’t close in contract discussions. Schefter later added that teams have been calling to try and trade for Watt, but NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero reported the Steelers have “no intentions” to trade Watt.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said on The PM Team on 93.7 The Fan that he doesn’t think Watt is off the table in a potential trade.
“Even though NFL Media pushed the idea that they have no intention to trade T.J. Watt, which is often the precursor to a trade. If you think about it, if a team is truly regarding a player as untouchable, they don’t say no intention. They say, ‘are you crazy? Are you crazy to even suggest that the player would be available.’ They’re never gonna say in Kansas City they have no intention to trade Patrick Mahomes. They would say you’re nuts for suggesting it,” he said.
While the wording Pelissero used in his tweet didn’t completely rule out the possibility of trading Watt, it would seem as if things would have to really go south between player and team for that to be a possibility. Florio even said it would be a “mistake” for the Steelers to move Watt now after the way they’ve built their roster, but still thinks a trade could happen if Pittsburgh won’t meet Watt’s contract demands.
Florio previously reported this week that Watt is “ready for any outcome,” and that would include a potential trade. If Watt signs with the Steelers, the deal would likely make him the highest-paid defensive player in football. After a slow second half of the season in 2024, the Steelers have to this point seemingly shown trepidation in giving him that kind of contract.
The Steelers haven’t been afraid to spend this offseason though, giving a raise to Ramsey and an extension to Smith and DK Metcalf upon acquiring them via trade. That’s something Watt sees and likely is part of his frustration that a contract hasn’t been done yet. But the Steelers have a roster they’ve built to win now, and trading away one of the most impactful defensive players in football would be counterintuitive if that’s their goal.
It does feel like a deal between Watt and the Steelers ultimately gets done. That said, this is the least confident I’ve ever felt that T.J. Watt will be with the Steelers. Florio certainly isn’t saying a trade is likely, but it seems as if the door is at the very least cracked open for the Steelers and Watt to part ways.
