Oh, the wolves are howling with the Pittsburgh Steelers as trade winds blow for T.J. Watt. Also, questions have arisen about how much he’s worth. Furthermore, Ian Rapoport made a contract prediction for the Steelers’ superstar.
Rapoport seems to think training camp is the likely time frame for a done deal.
NFL insider James Palmer said things could get tricky for the two sides, according to bleacherreport.com.
“This is one where we really went through a difficult negotiation last time,” Palmer said. “That went all the way up to, I believe, the Thursday before the start of the season. Buckle up, we could have that again possibly.”
Steelers trying to solve edge T.J. Watt’s contract
The Steelers are motivated to get the deal done, Palmer said.
“Mike Tomlin expressed (his) desire to get this deal done,” Palmer said. “That T.J. Watt wants to get this deal done. (There are) a lot of people in this building, specifically the people at the top, who want him to be a lifetime Pittsburgh Steeler. There’s a lot of confidence in Pittsburgh the deal will get done, at some point.”
The problem for Watt is his $28 million deal that pales in comparison to the contract recently signed by Myles Garrett ($40 million).
“Edge rusher market has exploded,” Palmer said. “(The) receiver market has exploded. T.J. Watt and Micah Parsons are next, and those numbers have skyrocketed. Obviously, the number is going to go up for T.J. Watt, who is still playing at an unbelievably high level.
“T.J. Watt has that argument to say that I deserve Myles Garrett type of money, which was $40 (million) a year and $123.5 (million) guaranteed, $160 million total.”
Will Micah Parsons’ contract impact Watt’s situation?
Dallas’ Parsons could play a role in the Watt negotiations. Will Watt wait to see what Parsons gets and play off of that deal?
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he’s optimistic, according to a post on X by Ian Rapoport.
#Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, on the TJ Watt situation now that minicamp has ended: “I’m optimistic we’re going to get things done because we got two sides that want to get things done. When that’s going to occur… I do not know.”
Watt hasn’t said a lot about the situation. After the Steelers’ playoff exit back in January, he said he wanted to remain with the organization, according to post-gazette.com.
“I want to be part of the solution,” Watt said. “I’ve put so much into this. I don’t want to leave this place. I love the people here, and that goes beyond just the coaches. It’s the fan base and the community. We owe it to them to get it right. I don’t want to go somewhere else. That’s not my intention.”
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