T.J. Watt Trade Reportedly Eyed by 'Multiple Teams' Amid Steelers Contract Holdout

The Pittsburgh Steelers already traded superstar safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins on Monday for cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith. But could an even bigger trade be percolating behind the scenes?

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, "In recent weeks, multiple teams have been discussing whether they can trade for Steelers' standout T.J. Watt, who skipped the team's most recent minicamp. Pittsburgh hasn't shown any willingness to deal Watt so far, but he's unhappy with his contractual situation and sources believe outside team interest is likely to increase given today's trade."

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network quickly reported that the Steelers don't intend to Watt, which hardly comes as a surprise.

Schefter added that the Steelers "have been adamant" that they want Watt to "finish his career in Pittsburgh."

If Watt were to hit the trade market, a bidding war would assuredly ensue. The seven-time Pro Bowler, four-time first-team All-Pro selection and 2021 Defensive Player of the Year had 11.5 sacks, 61 tackles (19 for loss), 27 quarterback hits, six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups last season.

Remarkably, that was something of a down year for Watt, who had 15 sacks in 2020, 22.5 sacks in 2021 and 19 sacks in 2023.

The Steelers have little reason to make him available, especially in an offseason where they already made a number of moves to win now. Adding older stars only to trade Watt would be a fairly illogical turn of events.

But the fact that teams are already poking around the situation offers Watt some degree of leverage in contract talks, as does his pending free agency after the 2025 season. Clearly, some teams would not only match his contract demands but would give up other assets for the right to do so.

The Steelers' leverage in those talks is that they don't have to trade him. Watt is under contract for the upcoming season, and they could use the franchise tag on him next offseason (and perhaps in 2027 as well). That approach risks a holdout and souring the relationship between the parties involved, but it's on the table.

Watt and the Steelers figure to eventually find common ground and agree to an extension. But Monday's report certainly added some intrigue to the proceedings.