2 days ago
Eagles named the favorites to acquire T.J. Watt if the Steelers move on
Eagles named the favorites to acquire T.J. Watt if the Steelers move on The Steelers Wire names the Eagles as the favorites to land T.J. Watt if Pittsburgh does the unthinkable and trades the All-Pro pass rusher
Every time an episode of Green Light With Chris Long drops, it's hard to think about the show's namesake without remembering one of his highlight-reel moments in a Philadelphia Eagles jersey. It was the NFC Championship Game vs. the Minnesota Vikings. A four-man rush led to a collapsed pocket and a pick-six.
Chris got his hands on Case Keenum, forcing the off-hand into Keenum's chest. As a result, Case couldn't get enough on the throw, and Patrick Robinson was the beneficiary.
Long may not be the player that T.J. Watt is (no disrespect is intended), but they're cut from the same cloth. What if T.J. were an Eagle? Might he, in Vic Fangio's defense, be the author of more plays like Long's disruption?
There's just one problem. T.J. and the Pittsburgh Steelers seem like a match made in Heaven. Well, at least they did up until their stalled conversations about Watt's deserved extension.
The Eagles are named among five possible landing spots for T.J. Watt if the Steelers do the unthinkable and move on
This isn't your grandfather's NFL. He wouldn't recognize most of the teams. The Cleveland Browns are still a mess, but the Detroit Lions are a legitimate contender. The Steelers, typically one of pro football's elite franchises, can't win playoff games or keep any of their players happy.
Just in case you missed the announcement, T.J. hasn't reported to mandatory minicamp. It doesn't look like he will be going unless there's a new deal waiting for him when he gets there.
Now, common sense and reason lend themselves to believing cooler heads will prevail. Still, just in case they don't, the speculation has already started about where he might wind up. Steelers Wire recently named Philly as one of five realistic landing spots.
Andrew Vasquez explains: "This one would sting—but it would make a lot of sense if the Steelers aren't competitive around the 2025 trade deadline. The Eagles have a young, unproven edge rush duo and could see Watt as a potential rental for another Super Bowl run. Could Philadelphia offer a king's ransom for a potential two-peat, spearheaded by Watt's presence on defense?"
Typically, when we hear these tales of disgruntled players and the theories about their 'most likely destinations, the Eagles are usually mentioned. Smoke rarely leads to any fires, and it probably won't do so here. This is T.J. Watt, though. This one was hard to ignore.
He still has one year remaining on his current deal. That means, unless Pittsburgh trades him, he probably isn't going anywhere, and even if the Steelers entertained the idea, they'd probably ask for a king's ransom.
Philadelphia has too many of its homegrown players who will soon need new deals. Three of which are Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Nolan Smith. That being said, we can end the T.J. Watt fantasy and move along to more pressing matters.