The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the most consistent teams in the NFL since Mike Tomlin took over as head coach.
Tomlin has never coached a team with a record under .500, and while the Steelers haven’t made a deep postseason run for a few years, they also haven’t been a bottom-feeder in some time.
This success is largely attributed to their staunch defenses, which are routinely among the top 10, even top five units in the league.
Strong players have been a big part of that success, and one of the team’s best players in recent history is T.J. Watt.
Watt is consistent when he’s on the field, a force to be reckoned with against any opponent that stands in his way.
With that in mind, he’s on the hunt for a new contract, a situation that hasn’t been resolved to this point.
Tomlin spoke about this conflict, as Ian Rapoport noted on X, saying, “I’m optimistic we’re going to get things done because we’ve got two sides that want to get things done.”
#Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, on the TJ Watt situation now that minicamp has ended: “I'm optimistic we're going to get things done because we got two sides that want to get things done. When that's going to occur… I do not know.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 12, 2025
Some might consider this to be coach-speak, but Tomlin effectively indicated that things are moving, but there’s no timeframe as to when they’ll be concluded.
He would like these talks to wrap up quickly, but in times like these, where teams and athletes might be far apart at the negotiation table, things can drag on.
The Steelers recently acquired Aaron Rodgers, an upgrade for their offense, and now fans will sit and wait to see when Watt will rejoin the team, hopefully energized by this help on the other side of the ball.
NEXT: Joe Haden Makes A Big Prediction About T.J. Watt