PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have reached an agreement with T.J. Watt before the start of the 2025 season. When it’ll exactly happen and what will happened between now and then is unknwon. But so far, it hasn’t been very quiet.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Steelers and Watt aren’t close on a new deal and the former Defensive Player of the Year isn’t too pleased with how negotiations have gone to this point.
The lack of progress between Watt and Pittsburgh, plus the trade of Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins has sparked teams to call for the outside linebacker. That’s created a ton of speculation about his future in Pittsburgh, and now, there’s a new update that shows maybe the two sides aren’t entirely aligned.
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala, speaking on 93.7 The Fan, shared that last time the Steelers and Watt went through negotiations, someone in the Steelers organization shared a pretty bold sentiment with him.
“Here’s what the disconnect is,” Kinkhabwala said. “And this is what happened the last time around in these negotiations. T.J. Watt was openly told, ‘You’re fortunate to be a Steeler.’ And his response was, ‘You’re fortunate to have me.’”
While there’s a history that comes with being a Steeler, Watt has been one of the best players of his generation. A multi-time Defensive Player of the Year finalist, and eight-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro, Watt isn’t your everyday NFL player.
This negotiation, he seems set to prove that with his contract. It’s unknown if things will work out, and while Pittsburgh is optimistic, their wild offseason has shown anything is possible.
If Watt and Pittsburgh can’t agree on who’s more lucky to have their other, a deal may not get done.
