Steelers Urged to Trade Superstar to Cowboys: Should They?

Will Watt End Up Getting Moved?

The Steelers' outlook for 2026 and beyond won't properly materialize until the team hires Mike Tomlin's successor in the coming days and weeks. At that point in time, though, it's fair to assume that some notable names will emerge as trade and/or cut candidates.

Watt was always a staunch defender of Tomlin, stating in January 2024 following the team's Wild Card round loss to the Buffalo Bills that he didn't want, "to play for anybody but Mike T."

With Tomlin now out of the picture, though, Watt's going to have to suit up for a different head coach in 2026 and potentially beyond, regardless of if he's in Pittsburgh or not.

It's hard to imagine a scenario in which Watt demands a trade barring something drastic occurring once the Steelers bring in their next head coach, however. He remains a key piece of the team's defense despite continuing to slow down a bit this past year, as he posted seven sacks and 49 pressures, per Pro Football Focus, in 14 games while also missing three games due to a partially collapsed lung in December.

According to Over the Cap, if the organization were to deal Watt away with a post-June 1 designation, they'd free up $32 million against the cap while also taking on $10 million in dead money for the 2026 campaign.

There are some alluring financial ramifications of trading him, who just signed a three-year extension worth $123 million last July, but it's more so a matter of weighing how costly parting ways with a franchise legend and locker room leader could be while simultaneously searching for adequate value in any potential transaction.

Would Cowboys Make Sense for Watt?

Pittsburgh and Dallas connected on a major trade last offseason, as the former sent wide receiver George Pickens to the latter for a package including a 2026 third-round pick, so there is a precedent and a connection here.

There's been no reports linking Watt to Dallas thus far, with Johnson's comments registering as pure speculation early in the offseason, and the likeliest outcome remains that the 31-year-old will still be a Steeler once Week 1 rolls around in September.

The Cowboys could use a star edge rusher after trading Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers late last summer, though, and while Watt isn't the same player he once was, he's still an above-average pass rushing presence with the ability to wreck any game he appears in.

Multiple conversations will have to take place between Watt and the Steelers' new staff before a trade ever becomes a realistic possibility, but it wouldn't come as a surprise if Dallas and several other teams around the league expressed serious interest in the eight-time Pro Bowler should he become available.