Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and Hall of Famer Bill Cowher offered advice to All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt, who’s currently in a contract dispute with the Steelers.
Watt skipped OTAs and mandatory minicamp last month, so all eyes will be on St. Vincent College when the team reports to training camp later this month.
“You can’t take it personally, it’s that time of year,” Cowher said on The Dan Patrick Show. “There’s no real deadline at this point. He’s gone through this before. We saw him almost hold up right til the first game and still have a stellar year… This is, unfortunately, the part of it that you just have to be patient. And I think the one thing that Mike Tomlin and Omar [Khan] and Art [Rooney II] have done, they’ve exhibited great patience. They did that with Aaron Rodgers to see where he’s at right now. I think the same approach is gonna be taken with T.J. Watt.”
ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler believes Watt is seeking a contract that makes him the highest-paid pass rusher in the NFL, topping Myles Garret’s average annual value of $40 million.
During a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan, CBS Sports insider Aditi Kinkhabwala revealed some interesting details on the last time T.J. Watt had a contract dispute with the Steelers in 2021. To say the least, thing were heated.
“T.J. Watt was openly told, ‘You’re fortunate to be a Steeler,’” Kinkhabwala said. “And his response was, ‘You’re fortunate to have me.’ The Steelers’ attitude, the Steelers’ mindset — and you see this from so many fans too — is that it is such a privilege to be in this uniform, to wear this helmet, that therefore you should take a hometown discount just because you get to play for one of these cornerstone, trademark organizations.”
Watt ultimately signed a four-year, $112 million deal in 2021 that averaged $28 million per year at the time. The deal wasn’t reached until Sept. 9, four days before the season opener.
Kinkhabwala said there’s a “disconnect” between Watt and the Steelers, similar to what happened in 2021.
NFL insider Jeremy Fowler revealed on ESPN’s Get Up that Watt is miffed the organization is giving other players pay increases. He’s wondering when will he get his share.
“So Watt appears to be unhappy with the fact that look, you’re bringing in all these other players,” Fowler said. “You’re bringing in these veterans, and you’re paying DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey’s big salary. That could be money allocated to me.”
All-Pro wide receiver DK Metcalf got a five-year, $130 million contract from the Steelers this offseaosn, and he’s never played for the team before. Newly acquired players Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith also got pay increases in the blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins on Monday.
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Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk revealed if the Steelers can’t resolve the issue soon, Watt [could...
