As things sit here on July 8, T.J Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers remain far apart in contract talks. Watt reportedly wants to be the highest paid non-QB in the NFL, and guaranteed language in his contract might be the biggest sticking point.
That’s led to speculation that Watt, who skipped mandatory minicamp in June, could hold out in training camp later this month in Latrobe. That speculation has even grown to include Watt potentially holding out into the season, missing games to send a message.
For ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, holdout talks are a long way away even if the two sides are “far apart” in contract talks.
Appearing on ESPN Radio’s Unsportsmanlike Tuesday morning, Schefter downplayed that potential talk at this point.
“That’s long way away. I’m not ready to say anything like that right now on July 8th,” Schefter said of Watt holdout talk, according to audio via ESPN Radio. “If we get to August 8th and it’s still not resolved, well that becomes a little bit more interesting. And if it gets to September 8th, that’s a big problem. But there’s a lot of time to work these things out, and even though the sides might be far apart right now, I still think that somehow with his importance to that franchise, that they’ll figure out a way to get this done at some point in time.
“And if not, other teams are waiting.”
Coming off an 11.5-sack season and leading the NFL in forced fumbles with six, Watt remains one of the best defensive players in the league. Though he closed the season in ugly fashion with back-to-back goose egg performances in Week 18 and the AFC Wild Card, he is still an important player, one the Steelers want to remain a one-helmet guy.
But talks aren’t going all that well, and Watt has watched outside players like DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith all receive new money from the franchise this offseason.
Schefter previously reported that Watt wasn’t happy with the pace of talks, showing frustrations with how things have stalled out. The Steelers have a way of going about business like this though, and these big negotiations take time. Watt should know that from his previous contract extension in 2021. But right now, he’s frustrated.
With Watt unhappy and things dragging out between player and team, that’s raised the possibility of Watt being available via trade. Especially after the Steelers just moved on from star safety and franchise stalwart Minkah Fitzpatrick last week in a shocking trade with the Miami Dolphins.
“Well, they’re far apart right now, and there have been other teams that have mulled the idea that maybe they would approach the Pittsburgh Steelers about it,” Schefter added regarding Watt. “Now the Steelers have zero intention of trading him, but something has to give. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say we want to keep this guy that badly and then be far apart in the contract.
“So that’s up to those two sides to figure out how to resolve that.”
It’s hard to believe the Steelers would even entertain trading Watt. The only way that would seemingly ever come to pass is if Watt requested a trade, something Schefter believes he could “absolutely” do.
But things are a long way from that happening. This is how business gets done in today’s NFL. Players get upset with negotiations and raise some questions about their future. But in the end, things tend to work out, especially with the Steelers.
Report date for training camp is just over two weeks away. Will Watt show up on time? Chances are, even after skipping minicamp, he will show up to training camp and at least conduct a hold-in.
There’s a clear desire from both sides to get a deal done and keep Watt as that legacy player. Time for both sides to come to an agreement and end this all.
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