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Steelers, T.J. Watt Trade Drama Takes Interesting Turn

Originally posted on The Spun | By Daniel Bates | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 6:29 PM ET

With the NFL's preseason just under a month away, T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers have yet to come to terms on a new deal.

The seven-time Pro Bowler has been pushing for a big money contract extension for months now. And after all of the Steelers' offseason moves, there's still no deal for the best player on Pittsburgh's roster.

Now as the situation grows more complicated, the Steelers have reportedly been fielding calls on Watt's trade value from teams around the league.

According to Pat McAfee Steelers correspondent Mark Kaboly, Pittsburgh has been doing its "due diligence" to find out what T.J.'s market is in the eyes of potential suitors — a big difference from the organization's view on his future during OTAs.

Of course the Steelers could be reaching out to teams in an effort to let the former Defensive Player of the Year know that no one is willing to give him what he's asking for or what Pittsburgh is offering.

At 30 years old, Watt is coming off his lowest sack total outside of his injured-shortened '22 campaign and his rookie season back in 2017.

And with the amount of money the Steelers have already spent on defense, making T.J. Watt the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history just doesn't seem like good business (although you could argue that hasn't been a factor for the past 5+ years).

Pittsburgh still has time to finalize something with Watt before the start of Week 1, but both sides are definitely feeling some pressure right now. Especially when that player is as special as Mr. Watt.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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