Insider shares when Steelers, T.J. Watt contract standoff may end

A recent update indicated that the Pittsburgh Steelers possibly trading unsettled pass-rusher T.J. Watt this summer may not be "off the table" amid Watt's desire for a lucrative contract extension. 

According to Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot, team insider Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette insisted during a Tuesday appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" that the club trading Watt isn't "on the radar" and is "not gonna happen." Dulac also said that he thinks Watt will sign an extension "sometime between" the Steelers' preseason finale at the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 21 and Pittsburgh's Week 1 matchup at the New York Jets on Sept. 7. 

"The Steelers want to and believe they will sign T.J. Watt," Dulac added. 

Pittsburgh acquiring future assets for Watt makes little sense after the AFC North side traded for No. 1 wide receiver DK Metcalf, signed 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers and then agreed to land both cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins in exchange for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and a pick swap. That said, reports from the first days of July have revealed the Steelers and Watt aren't close to agreeing on an extension. 

Per Josh Carney of Steelers Depot, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said during an appearance on radio station 93.7 The Fan that his "sense" is that the guaranteed money Watt wants attached to his next agreement is "looming large" as it pertains to working things out with the Steelers. The perception exists that Watt wants to better the four-year, $160M contract extension that included $123.5M guaranteed that the Cleveland Browns handed to Myles Garrett earlier in the offseason. 

In March, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that Garrett's deal included "$100M in the first three years, $1M in yearly workout bonuses and $88.8M in execution guarantees." Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, $122.795M of Garrett's extension will be fully guaranteed by March 2027.

Watt, Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys and Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals could all receive extensions before Week 1 of the upcoming campaign. It remains to be seen if the Steelers can convince Watt to become the first of those three defensive stars to put pen to paper on a deal that ultimately could save Pittsburgh some money.