We've seen so many positive reports colliding with so many negative reports regarding contract talks between the Pittsburgh Steelers and star edge rusher T.J. Watt that we are left to assume that some "insiders'' are just kind of making stuff up.
Yes, we're looking at you, ESPN.
But one NFL insider is now offering some hope that something will get done between the two sides as training camp approaches.
Hope. At a price.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero suggests he remains convinced that Watt and the Steelers will eventually come to an agreement ... no problem there ...
And that he believes that the deal will pay the seven-time Pro Bowler "upwards of $40 million" annually. ... some problem there.
Pelissero adds that the deal will be "north of Myles Garrett" and will reset the market among edge rushers.
Garrett, of course, blew the lid off resetting the edge rusher market earlier this offseason with his four-year, $160 million deal from the Cleveland Browns.
So the $40 million for Watt adds up in terms of his ask.
What about gaining the honor of being the highest-paid non-quarterback and whether the "honor'' matters? What about Watt being on the wrong side of 30? What about a Steelers front office that isn't saying it but is likely thinking, "Hey, T.J., you're already under contract''?
The supposed ugly exchanges? Those can be overcome. The supposed trade rumors? They don't much ring true.
What's left?
“I’ve said repeatedly here and elsewhere, I believe that they will find a way, if not before training camp then before the season, to get that done," Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show. "It is going to be north of Myles Garrett. It is going to be upwards of $40 million per year. ... I believe we are going to see a reset in the edge market again.”