While most have assumed the Pittsburgh Steelers and T.J. Watt will reach a long-term deal, the organization has shown a willingness to make unconventional and unexpected decisions under general manager Omar Khan. That leads ESPN’s Adam Schefter to speculate about Watt’s future and offer information on the contract stall between both sides.
“The one question I have in all of this now is, and we haven’t talked about it a whole lot, what about T.J. Watt?” Schefter said during a Monday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “Everybody just has assumed rightfully that the two sides will figure it out, but I don’t think they’re very close right now. And I don’t think that he’s particularly pleased.
“Now, it could change just like that and they could figure out a way to get it done, but you know what? They just gave Jonnu Smith more money. They just gave Jalen Ramsey more money. They haven’t given T.J. Watt more money. And you just wonder how that’s going to play out here in the coming weeks.”
NFL insiders, Schefter included, have been adamant that a long-term deal between Pittsburgh and Watt will get done, though he’s skeptical Watt will surpass Myles Garrett as the highest-paid pass rusher. The Steelers are on-record wanting to reach a contract extension with him, calling him a one-helmet player with the chance to finish his career with the team. And it still seems most likely that both sides will finalize a contract even if it takes until late into August.
But clearly, this is no longer the careful and make-moves-around-the-edges Kevin Colbert-led Steelers. Until Monday morning, it seemed impossible Minkah Fitzpatrick would be off the roster before Week One. Today proved nothing seems off the table for a Steelers franchise looking for its first playoff win in eight years.
“Again, he’s such a part of the team,” Schefter said of Watt. “You cannot imagine him not being there. But you would think that this situation would be settled by now and it’s not.”
Watt skipped the Steelers’ three-day mandatory minicamp, a move he didn’t make during his previous 2021 negotiation. The next line in the sand is if Watt reports for training camp, and if so, what his level of participation will be. Presumably, he will hold-in just as he did last time.
If the absence of a deal continues to linger into late August, perhaps teams call on Watt’s availability. The Steelers have clearly shown they’re willing to listen and aren’t afraid of making major moves.
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