Steelers' Trade of T.J. Watt for Nolan Smith of Eagles Would Be 'Malpractice'

Nolan Smith may not have T.J. Watt's resume yet, but he has something equally valuable: unlimited potential and the drive to reach it. The Eagles would be wise to hold onto that combination and see where it takes them rather than to give it away in a Steelers trade.

Are we just filling segments and stirring the pot?

Or are we reporting on an actually possibility of what would be a monumental NFL trade?

You decide.

Philadelphia’s 94WIP this week brought up an admittedly interesting topic involving the subject of trading for T.J. Watt, who is currently embroiled in a nasty contract standoff with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Media trade gossip here is fair game; The Steelers want their guy - he's arguably the best Pittsburgh player of his generation - but their guy might want $40 million APY to make him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.

Meanwhile, the defending champion Eagles are known for bold moves ... and they are relying on the hope that they have enough talent on the edge to help get that job done.

Enter WIP’s Joe Giglio visiting with Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh. ... with the fellas having offered up a hypothetical trade idea that the later media guy seems to feel Steelers coach Mike Tomliin would go for ...

The 24-year-old edge rusher Nolan Smith Jr. and a Day 3 draft pick for Watt and his looming contract extension.

A third voice, Eliot Shorr-Parks, who covers the Eagles for WIP, was in favor of the blockbuster trade concept, saying, "The more I think about it the more I think the Eagles should be willing to part with one of their great young players (plus a) draft pick for TJ Watt. The window to win is now. The edges are unproven. Adding Watt makes every single player on the team - offense and defense - better."

A key part of this idea, if it is to be taken seriously: The Eagles are prepared, cap-wise, to write that $40 million check? We're dubious.

Another: What if Nolan Smith is on the verge of developing into a star in his own right?

Now we go to our own Eagles guy, Aiden Kauffman, who offers a more sober view of the whole idea. ...

"The cold, hard truth,'' writes Kauffman, "is that trading Nolan Smith for T.J. Watt would be organizational malpractice of the highest order.

"Yes, Watt is a generational talent and future Hall of Famer. But the Eagles have something far more valuable – a 24-year-old pass rusher who's just scratching the surface of his potential. Smith's playoff breakout last season wasn't a fluke. It was a coming-out party for a player who showed up in the biggest moments when the lights were brightest.

"The financial mathematics alone should end any serious discussion about this trade. The Eagles are already staring down brutal contract decisions with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and other young stars needing extensions. Adding Watt's market-resetting demands would force Philadelphia to choose between keeping their young defensive core together or paying one aging superstar. 

"That's not a choice a smart organization should ever have to make. ... The Eagles would be trading away eight years of elite production for maybe three or four years of declining performance. 

"That's not team building – that's roster destruction disguised as an upgrade.''