The idea of the Pittsburgh Steelers potentially trading T.J. Watt has been tossed around so much this offseason that it's getting old. General manager Omar Khan made it clear that he wants Watt in Pittsburgh, and a trade isn't even on their radar. But never say never.
Though trading Watt would be counterproductive to what the Steelers are trying to accomplish in the present, this organization has made some wild and unpredictable trades this offseason that included trading for Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf and sending Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins for Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith.
Right now, the Steelers and Watt are reportedly nowhere near coming to terms on a new contract extension, and if things continue to go south, a trade can't be ruled out completely (though I'd stress again that it's highly unlikely).
So, hypothetically, what would T.J. Watt fetch the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade?
One prominent NFL insider recently took a stab at what it would cost a team to trade for the superstar pass rusher. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network knows that Watt is aiming to become the highest-paid defender in the league, and he believes the Steelers would be starting the conversation with a 2026 first-round pick.
“What can you get, at this point, for T.J. Watt?” Pelissero said. “For one thing, a 2026 draft pick doesn’t help you. But even if you were getting a 2026 draft pick, is somebody giving up a first-round pick and more for T.J. Watt? Again, never say never, Rich, but when the Bengals were, at Trey Hendrickson’s request, shopping Trey Hendrickson earlier this offseason, they were asking for a first-round pick. They weren’t being offered a first-round pick for a guy who led the league in sacks last year and has like 35 sacks over the past two seasons."
Pelissero was sure to make it clear that he believed something would eventually get done between Watt and the Steelers, even with the two sides not being close on a deal.
“I’ve said repeatedly here and elsewhere, I believe that they will find a way, if not before training camp, then before the season, to get that done. It is going to be north of Myles Garrett," Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show. "It is going to be upwards of $40 million per year. All I would tell you, Rich, it is going to be big money. I believe we are going to see a reset in the edge market again.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers plan to get an extension done with T.J. Watt (but it's going to take time)
When NFL insiders and analysts speculated that T.J. Watt would get his extension done before offseason activities, nobody should be surprised to see this still lingering. The last time Watt was up for a new deal during the 2021 offseason, the All-Pro edge rusher missed all of the preseason and only did individual work at training camp before showing up to the facility and inking his deal just before Week 1 of the season.
History tends to repeat itself, and we could see Watt's agent follow the same path this time around.
We know why Watt wants to be the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. The price tag is always going up as the salary cap increases, and Watt has been the most productive pass rushers in the NFL since entering the league as a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
At the same time, we can see where the hold-up is coming from with Omar Khan and the Steelers. Watt went quiet down the stretch of the 2024 season and finished the year with just 11.5 sacks. Likewise, Pittsburgh will be paying him on what he will be offering in his early-to-mid 30s, and it's likely he's already played his best football.
But the Steelers know how valuable Watt is to this organization, which is why Pelissero speculates that the trade discussions would begin with a first-round pick. And if they don't get at least that much in offers for Watt, Pittsburgh has no reason to continue the conversations.
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed a 41-year-old quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, and made a plethora of win-now moves. They are going to get a contract extension done with T.J. Watt eventually, but that won't stop teams from calling and asking about a trade involving their best player.
