The Pittsburgh Steelers are all-in on the 2025 season but are having a tricky time getting arguably their best defensive player to show up.
But even with T.J. Watt seeking a new contract, presumably that would make him the highest-paid defensive player on the planet, the Jets are among those who should pass on the four-time All-Pro and 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
The Steelers have had an extremely active off-season, acquiring Aaron Rodgers, D.K. Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey and others. But Watt, who is set to enter the final year of his then-record four-year deal, which he signed after winning the DPOY, held out of the team’s mandatory minicamp last month while seeking a contract.
That has led to trade rumors. ESPN reported Tuesday that teams are “mulling offers” to Pittsburgh to try and acquire Watt, who will turn 31 on Oct. 11.
Why Should The Jets Not Trade For T.J. Watt?
Aside from his advancing age, Watt is coming off arguably the worst season of his career, and certainly the worst in more than half a decade.
He finished with 11.5 sacks, which ranked tied for eighth in the NFL, but Watt had led the NFL in sacks in three of the previous four seasons and had not had fewer than 13 since his rookie year, 2017.
So all that, according to Michael Nania of Jets X Factor, is reason for New York to pause before acquiring him.
“[The Jets] must maintain their long-term flexibility if they wish to build themselves up into a sustained contender,” Nania wrote Tuesday “Shelling out an enormous contract and multiple premium draft picks for a soon-to-be 31-year-old Watt would be an unwise move for a team that is not one player away from a championship.”
Plus, Nania also noted some of Watt’s struggles last year.
“In 2024, Watt collected just 53 total pressures, which ranked 23rd among edge rushers,” he wrote. “It was a massive decline from the 86 pressures he accumulated in 2023 (on fewer pass-rush opportunities), which ranked seventh at the position.
“Watt created pressure on just 9.2% of his pass-rush snaps in 2024. Not only was that a career-low, but it was below the NFL average for edge rushers.”
Who Should Try To Trade For T.J. Watt?
The most likely scenario is the Steelers hanging onto Watt — and ultimately re-structuring his deal to make him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player.
With its superstar additions, and Rodgers saying next year would likely be his last in the NFL, the Steelers selling high on Watt would run contrary to the rest of their off-season moves.
But since Pittsburgh did trade both George Pickens and Minkah Fitzpatrick in blockbuster moves, including the latter of which for Ramsey, it is something of a wild card here.
For his struggles last season, and advancing age, Watt still had six forced fumbles, had 61 tackles and finished fourth in DPOY voting, which is still better than most of the league.
So if an all-in Super Bowl contender like the Los Angeles Chargers, who just lost Joey Bosa, or Detroit Lions, who could use a bookend to Aidan Hutchinson, called and offered picks and/or players, the Steelers might want to listen.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Jets Urged to Avoid Trade for Disgruntled Defensive Star appeared first on Heavy Sports.