The Pittsburgh Steelers recently received a clear message from their franchise star, TJ Watt. Whether he wants more money or he just wants out, he is obviously not happy with something going on behind the scenes in Pittsburgh. There are numerous possibilities of what it could be. The most likely answer is that Watt posted that picture of him giving the peace sign to pressure the front office into giving him what he wants in an extension, but it's hard to tell for sure.
While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Mark Kaboly spoke with the hosts about the post, as well as other people's thoughts on the situation. Andrew Fillipponi brought up something that Watt had previously done when a false report was made against him.
"Mark [Kaboly], use common sense. If what you put out there was B.S., [TJ Watt] would've responded to either you directly, or he would've gone on social media and said, 'You guys are making a mountain out of a molehill here. It was just a tweet of me putting my fingers up,'" said Fillipponi. "Because the one time something came out there that he didn't agree with was when [Mark] Madden said that he blew off that exit meeting and who got on social media five minutes later to say, 'Hey, buddy, pipe down?' Watt."
Watt has shown that he is willing to go on social media and defend himself against false reports when needed. Reporters are not always right on what happens behind the scenes, of course, so it's not unusual for players to speak out against these supposed lies, like the star pass rusher blowing off a meeting with Head Coach Mike Tomlin when that was never actually a thing.
With that said, Watt's silence could say a lot about what is really going on. It most likely wasn't just him wishing peace on everyone in the world or just picking a random photo to spotlight. Something is actually going on, and he is not saying anything about it other than posting a particular image that could mean all kinds of things at this point. He's likely not just looking for engagement on his Instagram, like Kaboly theorized.
It is very common for players to make cryptic posts or unfollow their teams to send a message to the executives of the team. Usually, that is done for contract reasons, and that could apply to Watt. He is entering the last year of his latest deal, and he could be asking for a brand new extension to stay with the Steelers for another few years.
Of course, the Cleveland Browns just gave Myles Garrett an extension worth $40 million per year. Contracts could affect negotiations for other players on other teams. In this case, Watt could be demanding to make more than his rival.
Steelers Have A Hard Decision To Make
Watt did just come off of one of his worst seasons, and he will turn 31 during the 2025 campaign. Having 11.5 sacks and numerous forced fumbles is still amazing, but it's less than what he is used to. He is definitely still a great starting-caliber pass rusher. The only question here is if he is truly worth giving quarterback-level money to.
Watt previously had a "hold-in" when negotiating a new contract, and he missed all of training camp and preseason that year because of it. What's to say that that won't happen again? While Watt did have the single greatest season of anyone at his position that year, that is not a sustainable way to go at it. The Steelers may have to make a decision quickly, whether that's giving him what he wants, telling him he needs to earn a new deal, or even trading him.
