One of the biggest stories for the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout OTAs has been the absence of T.J. Watt. While OTAs are voluntary, the Steelers tend to have a good turnout. That’s why Watt not being there has been noticeable. It’s unclear what his reasons are, but his contract situation likely has something to do with it. Watt is going into the last year of his deal, and he wants an extension. However, the Steelers haven’t given that to him yet. Some have called for the Steelers to trade Watt, but analyst Gregg Rosenthal doesn’t think that’s a good idea.
“It’s not the right time of year to make a trade. It just doesn’t make any sense to me,” Rosenthal said recently on his NFL Daily podcast. “If teams were more aggressive about this stuff, it wouldn’t have been that crazy.
“If you could have gotten a haul for T.J. Watt before the draft and you wanted to really invest in your young players at the position, Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith are awesome and you’re pretty deep there. But at this time of year, you’ve got to just give him that money.”
Rosenthal is correct. Right now, trading Watt hurts the Steelers far more than it helps them. He’s their best player, and also one of the best players in the NFL in general. Watt is a game changer, and finding a player of his caliber is incredibly difficult.
Also, the Steelers have made it clear that they want to be as competitive as they can be this year. Trading Watt would run counter to that. Any package that the Steelers would receive in return would likely steer them toward a rebuild. While some fans might feel like that’s the direction the team should go, it doesn’t seem to be in Pittsburgh’s plans.
Had the Steelers gotten an outrageous offer for Watt before this year’s draft, maybe they would’ve entertained it. However, OTAs have started. This isn’t the best time to recoup the greatest value for Watt. He’s also coming off a down season, at least compared to his own high standards, so that might also negatively impact trade offers.
This season, the Steelers probably won’t be Super Bowl contenders. That could change but compared to some of the other powerhouses in the AFC, they likely to come up short. However, that doesn’t mean they should trade Watt.
He’s been the ultimate pro, being a captain and a staple of Pittsburgh’s franchise. Watt has earned a massive extension, and the Steelers should give it to him. While Herbig and Highsmith are good players, they can’t replace Watt. Locking him up for the foreseeable future would be a wise move for the Steelers. Maybe they’ll consider trading him one day, but that shouldn’t come this year.
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