The Pittsburgh Steelers are busy again on Monday as they have traded away safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a late-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith.
In The Steel City, this has every reason to be applauded.
Will it work? Just as with acquiring wide receiver D.K. Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks and just as with signing quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the organization deserved to be applauded for its "loaded-up'' effort.
But ESPN's Adam Schefter is telling another tale about alleged unhappiness ... and we wonder if he's overstepping his bounds.
T.J. Watt had been a holdout while seeking a new contract, and insider Schefter attempted to provide an update to those negotiations during "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday.
“Everybody just has assumed that, rightfully, the two sides will figure it out," Schefter said. "But I don’t think they’re very close right now, and I don’t think he’s particularly pleased. … 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.”
Steelers fans - and the Steelers themselves - have a reason to be concerned here.
Assuming Schefter has any idea what he's talking about of course.
Ramsey was scheduled to make $26.6 million this year, but it seems the Steelers will be on the hook for about $19 million of that.
Smith is getting getting a one-year contract extension worth "up to'' $12 million. ... which if true means it's worth less than $14 million.
And while we're at it ...
The Steelers signed Rodgers to a one-year, $13.65 million contract.
We don't see much for Watt to be upset about here. ... so we wonder just how responsible Schefter is being in his assertion of unhappiness.
A better guess? Yes, Watt wants his money, surely over $30 million APY. But he also wants to win. So adding teammates with a plan to help him do the latter is probably good news to T.J. ... and the fact that the Rooneys are willing to pay the new guys actually gives some leverage to the old guy. ...
Not the other way around.