Should the Steelers try to trade EDGE T.J. Watt?
Should the Steelers try to trade T.J. Watt?
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2025 offseason has been a wild ride. The team has completely gutted out the quarterback depth chart for a second-straight season. The team also has a brand new No. 1 wide receiver, No. 1 running back, and new starting right tackle. But despite all the attention the offense is getting, nothing seems to be working.
Meanwhile, the Steelers defense is loaded with edge defender T.J. Watt as its undisputed top player. And right now, Watt isn't working with the team as he holds out for a massive new contract. Watt is currently in the final year of a four-year, $112 million contract and he wants a raise.
The market for elite edge rushers continues to spike and Watt feels he deserves to be at or near the top. Watt is currently the seventh highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL on an annual basis. Watt is also part of a trio of edge rushers, including Cincinnati's Trey Hendrickson and the Cowboys' Micah Parsons. All three want new deals, and it will be like dominoes once one signs, and the cost is just going to go up each time. We won't be shocked if all three end up being ahead of current APY leader Myles Garrett.
This situation does prompt us to wonder if now isn't the time for the Steelers to trade Watt. He would surely garner at a minimum one first-round pick along with other picks but to the right team might bring in first-round picks in multiple seasons. Everything else aside as far as loyalty and Steelers DNA, this is a tempting situation.
And based on the Steelers history, it's something they have thought about. Pittsburgh currently has one of the best three-man rotations in the NFL at edge rusher and only improved it in 2025. The addition of former Ohio State edge Jack Sawyer in the 2025 NFL draft gives the Steelers an excellent backup plan if they dealt Watt and moved Nick Herbig into the starting lineup along with Alex Highsmith.
Be sure to head up to the post above and cast your vote for whether or not the Steelers should try to trade Watt. The most you roll over the scenarios over, the more tempting it is to make the trade and really focus on making this team a Super Bowl contender.
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