Mock trade for T.J. Watt would make Brad Holmes knock Steelers' door down

It's not easy to fleece NFL teams in trades nowadays - unless you are the 2025 Miami Dolphins. In which case, you may in fact be able to fleece them fairly easily considering recent news of them trading for a retired tight end and trading away some of their best players for seemingly nothing in return.

The Detroit Lions are in a unique position where they both have the cap space to get a big deal done this offseason and have some pick flexibility to also throw into any proposed trade packages. However, it just hasn't seemed like they're looking to make any big swing moves with health being on their side once again headed into 2025.

Still, it's always fun to see who Detroit could think about bringing on, especially for their pass rush needs. While we wait to see what's happening with Za'Darius Smith, a new name has cropped up thanks to some confusing posts from ESPN's Adam Schefter: Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt.

The defender is in the process of negotiating a new deal with the team after seeing the bag given to Cleveland Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett this offseason.

Watt and Trey Hendrickson are still waiting for something to get done with their respective teams, and Schefter threw an interesting wrench into the Watt negotiations on Monday by reporting he had heard teams are seriously beginning to piece together offers for Watt - offers, by the way, that the Steelers aren't listening to right now.

So, what's a package that the Steelers would take from what the Lions have to offer? This is what Sports Illustrated writer Christian Booher speculated on for a mock trade piece involving Watt, claiming that a 2026 second rounder and fourth rounder, and a 2027 fifth rounder.

Mock trade could have Brad Holmes tearing Steelers' door down

Booher explains that the reason he didn't think a first rounder made sense to include in this proposed deal is Watt's age and upcoming extension eligibility.

"As a four-time All-Pro, Watt is undoubtedly worth a first-round pick even as he enters his age-31 season. However, with him being on the final year of his current contract it would be merely a rental unless the Lions had plans to extend him. Should the Lions want to make the deal and extend Watt, it could make things very complicated in terms of the long-term outlook of their array of young talent."

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Smith seems like the likeliest bet for the Lions as their addition to the pass rush alongside Aidan Hutchinson given that the team and him were in communication prior to the draft, and he recently expressed interest in returning to the team for the 2025 season.

However, with a Super Bowl window pretty open for Detroit right now, someone like Watt who could cost less in a trade than Hendrickson is someone they need to keep on their radar.