If T.J. Watt wants to play hardball, the Steelers have options

After the Pittsburgh Steelers Mandatory Minicamp wrapped up this past week, the news has shifted. It always does, but in this case it took a turn away from the quarterback position to a player who is choosing his next step as he awaits a new contract.

Yes, Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers is now deemed old news. Now, the Steelers sports universe rears its head to T.J. Watt choosing to skip the mandatory workouts as he enters the final year of his current deal, looking for one last mega deal.

There are many fans who are comparing Watt’s desire for a new deal to the situation of Cam Heyward a year ago. Heyward, clearly in the twilight of his amazing career, missed the first week of voluntary Organized Team Activities (OTAs) but did attend the final week of Phase III of OTAs. Heyward also attended Mandatory Minicamp in 2024, despite not doing much during those workouts.

So, for those who are comparing the two situations, there isn’t much comparison.

In fact, the last time Watt went through these contract situations he followed the same path of Heyward last year. He didn’t miss anything, just chose to focus solely on individual workouts all the way through training camp before signing a new deal prior to Week 1 and the team’s trip to Buffalo.

There is a chance Watt and his representation decide to play hardball with the Steelers and hold out into training camp. Is it likely? Probably not, but it absolutely could happen. And if it does, don’t pretend the Steelers don’t have options outside of what most people believe.

What are the options most fans feel the Steelers have at their disposal?

• Trade Watt for potential players/draft capital
• Pull up the Brinks truck and pay Watt what he is requesting

Other than that, most people don’t believe the Steelers have many options, but they absolutely do have more options than the aforementioned ones.

If Watt wants to play hardball, the Steelers could do the same back, and that doesn’t mean trading their All-Pro pass rusher.

The Steelers can utilize all the tools which are at their disposal, based on the latest Collective Bargained Agreement (CBA) between the NFL owners and the NFLPA. What am I referring to? The Steelers could tell Watt he is permitted to play out the final year of his current contract. If he plays well, the Steelers could again make a decision which is best for the organization. Some might see this as a new contract, but they could instead just place the franchise tag on Watt for the 2026 season.

The tag would cost them around $25 million dollars for one year, and Watt certainly wouldn’t be happy, but it is an option for the team.

Assuming Watt would eventually take the guaranteed money of the tag, they could place it on him again if they so choose.

There is always the risk a player pulls a Le’Veon Bell and sits out a season, but a player the age of Watt you would have to wonder if they felt that would be a good decision for their long term future in the league. It would be an ugly battle, and plenty of bitterness surrounding the entire situation, but it provides the organization a last-ditch option if they feel they are being backed into a corner.

For the record, I don’t foresee the Steelers entertaining this option. I believe Watt will show up at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA and get a new contract which both sides feel as fair and equitable for both parties. In other words, Watt would get north of $40 million a year, and the Steelers would have the flexibility to both extinguish the last year of the contract, as well as moving money around to help ease the salary cap burden on a yearly basis.

With the Rodgers news done, the attention now turns to Watt’s contract, and this saga is just beginning…

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for training camp in July.