It’s the trade everyone’s talking about. In a surprise move, the Pittsburgh Steelers acquired veteran DB Jalen Ramsey, in a package deal that saw their three-time All-Pro safety, Minkah Fitzpatrick reunite with his original team, the Miami Dolphins. It remains unconfirmed to what extent Aaron Rodgers influenced the decision.
However, as fans and pundits alike continue to debate the implications of the move, the host of Steelers Radio Network, Gerry Dulac, is suggesting that the Steelers’ recent dealings will have little to no impact on the current contract negotiations of the team’s star pass rusher, T.J. Watt.
During his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Dulac explained that his sources have informed that, these moves have “nothing to do with the negotiations” with T.J. Watt.
“The stalemate is that Watt wants to be the highest paid non-quarterback in the league and the Steelers are looking at it as he’s age 31… They did see a decline in his performance last year… They believe they will sign T.J. Watt, but something is going to have to give,” Dulac told Eisen during the show.
Notably, Pittsburgh is set to pay the remainder of Ramsey’s $26.6-million salary. And, Ramsey’s massive extension with the Dolphins, which he signed in 2024, made him the highest paid player at his position.
Prior to June 1, his salary cap charge would have been north of $25 million. However, it dropped by more than $18 million after June 1. Hence, despite the large price tag, the Steelers seemingly managed to snag Ramsey at a bargain bin price, at least for the 2025 season.
Neither Steelers nor T.J. Watt can risk playing hardball
While Eisen suggested that he’s more than understanding of Pittsburgh’s hesitancy to pay Watt more money than the likes of Myles Garrett, he also noted that “all of the eggs are in the 2025 basket” for the Steelers. “How do they play footsie with T.J. Watt? How is that possible?,” he wondered.
In response to Eisen, Dulac offered a positive take, saying, “That’s what we’re going to find out,” before adding:
“If T.J. Watt wants to stick to wanting to be the highest paid non-quarterback in the league, then they are going to have a problem… There’s going to be some headbutting and we’re going to see who butts heads the hardest here… This isn’t going to be as easy as the last contract for T.J. where he was in his prime. At age 31, they want to be very careful about how much and how long his contract is for,” Dulac concluded.
As Dulac also pointed out, a five-year deal is the reasonable way for Pittsburgh to structure any kind of major contract for Watt, regardless of what the final number may be. By that time, Watt will be 36 years of age, well past the expiration date for the average linebacker who has as much wear and tear as he does.
Simply put, either Watt or the Steelers will have to concede some ground in these negotiations. Seeing as leverage often rests with the employer rather than the employee, perhaps Watts should temper his expectations on becoming the highest paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
