The Pittsburgh Steelers have already gone through one lengthy contract decision this offseason with QB Aaron Rodgers. Now they’re awaiting word regarding OLB T.J. Watt. The team’s star pass rusher didn’t make any appearances at voluntary OTAs or mandatory minicamp this offseason. It will be very interesting to see if he holds out of training camp. Insider Gerry Dulac predicts that Watt will sign with the Steelers, but not until the team is prepping for the start of the regular season.
There have even been reports that teams are inquiring if the Steelers would consider trading Watt. So far, it appears the Steelers haven’t budged from wanting T.J. Watt in Pittsburgh to finish his career. And it’s hard to imagine the Steelers’ career sack leader ever playing in another team’s uniform. Head coach Mike Tomlin values defense too much to let Watt go.
But Steelers fans are getting restless. Understandably, they want an answer about the future of their team’s star pass rusher. There is a lot of posturing and media talk going on. However, former Steelers and Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bill Cowher thinks fans should take heart.
“You can’t take it personally, it’s that time of year,” Cowher said Tuesday on the Dan Patrick Show. “There’s no real deadline at this point. He’s gone through this before. We saw him almost hold up right til the first game and still have a stellar year… This is, unfortunately, the part of it that you just have to be patient. And I think the one thing that Mike Tomlin and Omar [Khan] and Art [Rooney II] have done, they’ve exhibited great patience. They did that with Aaron Rodgers to see where he’s at right now. I think the same approach is gonna be taken with TJ Watt.”
Fans’ patience was certainly taxed waiting for Aaron Rodgers to sign. And plenty of people question whether the Steelers should have been that patient for a nearly 42-year-old quarterback in the first place.
But T.J. Watt is 11 years younger than Rodgers. He’s been a Steeler his entire professional career. He’s a four-time All-Pro and was the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year. While we would all love an answer immediately, you could certainly argue that Watt deserves patience.
Cowher certainly thinks that way, even though Watt is getting older. Just because he’s going to produce less at some point in his career doesn’t mean he isn’t a valuable member of the Steelers. Cowher isn’t saying that Watt won’t be disruptive in 2025. He fully expects that. It’s that Watt’s importance to the team goes beyond just sacks on the field.
“I think I also would have to say the presence on a team of a player of that impact, you have to put a value on what he brings to the locker room, what he brings to the practice field, what he brings on game day in terms of mentoring the guys that he has behind him,” Cowher said. “When you look at his approach to the game, the impact he has, not just on games, but on that football team, that’s why I think when it comes to Week One, he will be sitting there on the left side lined up in the Steeler defense.”
At some point, T.J. Watt will no longer be the same disruptive presence that he’s been throughout his entire career. Not only does he have 108 career regular-season sacks. He also has 126 tackles for a loss, 462 total tackles, seven interceptions, 49 passes knocked down, and 33 forced fumbles. He also has one career fumble returned for a touchdown.
The day Watt can no longer produce like that will be a sad day in Pittsburgh. But for Cowher, it’s not just about the production. It’s about who T.J. Watt is as a Steeler. He is an important piece of the puzzle on the field and to the Steelers’ culture, which is incredibly important to the Steelers’ success as well.
Yes, there are people who think that trading Watt could accelerate the Steelers’ rebuild. And we know that Aaron Rodgers is really only around for 2025. That means the 2026 offseason is going to be incredibly important to the Steelers’ future. The more ammunition general manager Omar Khan has, the better the team’s chances of getting things right are.
And there are people who point to the fact that the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game during T.J. Watt’s entire career. That may just be the biggest stain on Watt’s career. But to pin that on him is insane. There are much bigger reasons than him as to why the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game in nine years. And removing him from the roster wouldn’t magically fix those issues.
For 2025 to go right, the Steelers need T.J. Watt to create havoc against opposing offenses. While negotiations take time, Cowher encourages everyone from the Steelers’ front office to fans to be a little more patient.
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