The Pittsburgh Steelers took everyone by surprise Wednesday morning when they pulled the trigger on a George Pickens trade. Just days before this, GM Omar Khan had said, “No. I mean, we’re glad we have George and DK here…” Khan and the Steelers’ front office then took a U-turn. Some of the reports claim that it was Mike Tomlin’s call to move on from Pickens, and well, love it or hate it, the deal’s done. Whether it pans out or not, time will tell. But there’s one immediate effect fans can’t miss: the Steelers now have one less extension to stress about.
And that brings us to a bigger question. With Pickens out of the contract conversation, why not turn to the guy who’s earned it year after year? Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt is heading into the final year of his contract. And naturally, fans are asking: Why hasn’t he been paid yet? Watt is reportedly eyeing an extension, but so far, the Steelers have been keeping hush-hush on their star LB’s extension talks. This feels like one of those deals that shouldn’t be dragged out. Watt is the heart of the defense. And now, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Gerry Dulac has all but confirmed that it’s only a matter of time.
Recently, Dulac, while in conversation with Dan Patrick on his show, was asked about Watt’s contract situation. “Steelers going to pony up for T.J. Watt?” asked Patrick. Dulac’s response was reassuring for Steelers Nation: “Yeah, I think so, Dan. You know, you go back in their history. I can’t think of one player, one of their star players basically in their prime, that they’ve ever let walk. I can’t think of one.”
Tomlin and the Steelers brass have a handful of issues to deal with on the current roster. Their biggest one is finding a quarterback. But this should not stop them from signing one of their best defensive player. Because, as former RB and exec Ran Carthon put it, “If they don’t, someone else will…When you talk about needing a play to end a game, to end a drive, you know that Trent Jordan Watt is gonna go make that play for you. I’ll say pay him. It makes too much sense not to.”
And if that’s not convincing enough, history might be. Because the last time the Steelers let an all-time great walk, well, you could say that was Pittsburgh’s biggest regret.
Dan Rooney’s quiet admission that changed team thinking
When Gerry Dulac is dropping insights about the Steelers, you’ve got to believe him. So, if he’s saying T.J. Watt’s contract will get done, it probably will. Dulac explained that Pittsburgh has never let a star player walk while still in their prime. The one time it did happen? It turned into what former exec Dan Rooney called the biggest professional regret of his life. That was when the Steelers let four-time Super Bowl champion Franco Harris walk away toward the end of his career.
“And I go back to Franco Harris, which was toward the end of his career. And Dan Rooney quietly admitted after that it was the biggest professional mistake he ever made,” Dulac shared. Although Harris played just one more season with the Seattle Seahawks, Rooney believed he should have re-signed Franco for everything he meant to the franchise.
“I can’t, T.J. Watt doesn’t want to leave, and they don’t want him to leave, so I expect that to happen,” he added. Well, Watt’s probably eyeing an extension as big as, or maybe even bigger than, what Myles Garrett got: $160 million over four years. And with the Cowboys also expected to pay their edge rusher, Micah Parsons, T.J.’s mega deal is starting to look like a guaranteed possibility. Now that they are also trading Pickens, the team might feel a little more comfortable shelling out that kind of money.
So, it’ll be interesting to see if Pittsburgh ends up breaking records and makes Watt the highest-paid non-QB in the league. Or if they surprise everyone again, like they did with the Pickens trade.
The post Pittsburgh Reporter Confirms T.J. Watt Contract Update as Steelers to Avoid Repeating Dan Rooney’s Biggest Mistake appeared first on EssentiallySports.
