Steelers Trade of T.J. Watt Being Explored Amid Ugly Contract Dispute originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have whispered it often to the media.
They have no intention of trading T.J. Watt.
But …
According to ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show” Steelers correspondent Mark Kaboly, Pittsburgh has been doing its “due diligence” regarding a trade.
So somebody is lying.
The reporter’s position? The idea is simply to discover what the market for Watt would be in the eyes of potential suitors.
That’s now being downplayed by some as they play semantics with the report.
But “exploring a trade” and “due diligence” and “thinking of trading” him? There is not a big difference there.
Watt has been one of the premiere defensive players in the NFL since he stepped foot onto a professional gridiron eight seasons ago.
In his career, he’s been named to seven Pro Bowls, earned four First-Team All-Pros and was the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year — all in a Steelers jersey.
So, he’s got value. Right?
This all started following a cryptic Instagram post this offseason from Watt featuring a photo himself giving a peace sign … as if to say, “Peace out.”
And since then?
We have the T.J. Watt trade rumors and we have the T.J. Watt negotiations.
And there is bad news on both fronts.
The Steelers are working with Watt to negotiate a new contract in light of Myles Garrett’s extension … and it seems Watt wants that same $40 million APY.
While we do believe the two sides will eventually agree to an extension, the possibility of a Watt trade, or at least Watt being on the block, is a discussion item — at least for fans.
But, if the Steelers were to listen in on offers for Watt, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network believes they’d not get much for him.
“Even if you were getting a 2026 draft pick, is somebody giving up a first-round pick and more for T.J. Watt?” he said on the Rich Eisen Show. “Again, never say never, Rich, but when the Bengals were — at Trey Hendrickson’s request — shopping Trey Hendrickson earlier this offseason, they were asking for a first-round pick. They weren’t being offered a first-round pick for a guy who led the league in sacks last year and has like 35 sacks over the past two seasons.”
And so, the idea is, if Hendrickson can’t get you a top pick, Watt can’t, either …
Especially when the new team adds the new salary.
Watt’s combination of age, entering his age-31 season, and contract status has likely caused the shockingly low market valuation for him. Watt is still a premiere player, coming off an 11.5-sack season, but he’s closer to the end than the beginning of his career.
And so …
The most likely solution is that Watt sticks with Pittsburgh. … with the trade price too low and even with the contract price so high.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 13, 2025, where it first appeared.