With training camp less than two weeks away, the TJ Watt contract situation remains front and center in Pittsburgh. The star pass rusher is looking for a new contract with the Steelers after the Myles Garrett contract reset the market, and things are still unclear.
The two sides have continued to hold talks this offseason after the Cleveland Browns made Garrett the game’s highest-paid pass rusher, but no deal has come to fruition. That has led to rumors about a potential trade, and while Steelers insider Mark Kaboly didn’t predict that would happen, he speculated about what a potential package could include.
During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Kaboly pondered whether Pittsburgh was doing “due diligence” with regard to Watt’s decision. He said the franchise would probably be “lucky” to get a second-round pick for him, however, that could be enticing should things take a turn.
“I’m just saying they are obviously inquiring to see what that might be,” Kaboly said. “If it gets to the point where it’s the point of no return, maybe that second-round pick becomes very handsome. … I’m sure that’s due diligence there at this point, right?”
Watt is entering the last year of his four-year, $112 million contract and saw Garrett receive a deal that pays out $40 million per year. The growing sense is Micah Parsons will eventually get a similar deal with the Dallas Cowboys, as well.
That has led to the current situation where TJ Watt is searching for a new contract to be paid among the top pass rushers in the game. If the Steelers aren’t willing to go that high, they could opt for a trade. But Kaboly noted what could happen if they gauge interest simply to see what they could get.
“If you’re shopping him just to see what the return might be, you’re probably not going to get as much as you think you’re going to get,” Kaboly said. “If you can get a second-rounder, you’ll probably be lucky, I think. It might be a George Pickens third-rounder. He is 31. … Now, I don’t know if they would do that or not and I don’t know the Steelers view that worth going down that route.”
Could TJ Watt hold out to start training camp?
When asked about a potential holdout, Mark Kaboly said he initially was pushing back hard against that idea. However, after receiving some new intel, he said he’s “wavering” a bit but could not “nail it down 100%” as of his interview. He then took so social media to clarify what he meant.
“Steelers are still in a holding pattern with T.J. Watt’s contract extension,” Kaboly wrote on X. “Length of deal, guarantees and total value — basically everything, to some varying degrees — are the sticking points right now. Even so, there is no anticipation for Watt to holdout when camp starts on July 23 and there has been no inquires made to other teams about trading him, according to sources. Basically, these are how high-profile and big money deals go. Seems like it could go down to the wire as it did in 2021.”
The holdup, Kaboly said, centers on the guarantees in the contract. He predicted the two sides will wind up coming to an amicable agreement, but pondered what could happen in the time before training camp starts July 23.
“I think it’s always been about the guarantees and always will be about the guaranteed money with Watt. … I think there’ll be a happy medium,” Kaboly said. “Both the sides will have to get this thing [done] because TJ probably wants too many years guaranteed and they don’t want to guarantee him that much amount of money. So they will probably come to that happy medium.
“The question is when and if there is any feelings hurt leading up to that point. Does he show up to training camp? Does it get ugly? Do they shop him or anybody interested, can they get anything in return? A lot of things can happen during that span that can turn things ugly.”
