Latest contract drama gives Pittsburgh Steelers golden opportunity to one-up bitter AFC North rival on and off the gridiron

Here's the thing: All of these parties are in a staring contest right now. T.J. Watt and his reps don't want to sign a deal until Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson sign one. The same goes for Hendrickson regarding Watt and Parsons. 

But if the Steelers ink Watt to a deal that clears what Myles Garrett got this offseason, they can get everything out of the way. Maybe it's only for days or weeks barring when and for how much Parsons signs, but Watt would earn the title as the league's highest-paid non-quarterback. 

In turn, if Trey Hendrickson goes to the Bengals and says, 'Give me what Watt got,' the Bengals would likely cave and send Hendrickson to another team. That would then get one of the best pass rushers in the league out of the Steelers' hair. 

We have seen what Hendrickson and Garrett do to the Steelers' offensive line over the years, and it's not pretty. 

So the Steelers should have gotten this done a long time ago, there is no debating that. 

Waiting never helps in these situations. The price only goes up for the player, and Watt may be in his 30s, but he has all the leverage in these negotiations. The Steelers simply don't win games when he's not on the field. They are 1-10 when Watt doesn't play.

Getting it done now, opposed to waiting until training camp or even after, ends a lot of headaches. But if it could force the Bengals to finally move of their best defender, then the Steelers should be doing everything to get Watt back where he belongs.