Pittsburgh Steelers – Page 2

Saturday Night Open Thread Offseason Week 23: Reporting to training camp

A general view of Chuck Noll Field during the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College on July 29, 2023, in Latrobe, PA. — Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Come and join this merry band of Steelers’ faithful for some lively debate about our Steelers, good food, music, and the merits of the odd cold beverage.

Live from not-Delaware, it’s Saturday Night! This week, it’ll be I, Ryland Bickley, not NAS204PSU, bringing you this Saturday Night Open Thread (aka SNOT).

In the spirit of the great work NAS always does with these threads, I’ve attempted to theme the questions this week. Steelers players report to training camp Wednesday, meaning they’re probably planning for their time in the Saint Vincent College dorms through the next few weeks of summer.

For this week’s thread, so will we.

This six pack of questions is here to get the conversation going is below, also let us know what you’re eating/drinking!

The grand training camp entrance. What’s your dream car?
Hanging out in the dorms. What snacks are you packing?
Backs vs. backers. Which Steelers running back/linebacker do you least want to go against in this drill?
Seven shots. Arthur Smith lets you call one play from the two-yard-line. What are you drawing up?
Media availability. Have you ever been in the news?
“Friday Night Lights” practice. What’s the best football-related movie/show/book you’ve ever watched/read?

Steelers, T.J. Watt Agree To Extension

The wait has ended for T.J. Watt and the Steelers to work out an extension. Team and player have agreed to terms on another monster pact.

Watt has landed a three-year, $123MM extension, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The pact includes $108MM in full guarantees. With an average annual value of $41MM, Watt has once again claimed the title of the league’s top earner for defensive players and all non-quarterbacks.

Myles Garrett reset the edge rush market when he signed a Browns pact averaging $40MM per year. Ja’Marr Chase did the same at the receiver position when his Bengals extension (carrying an AAV of $40.25MM) became official. To little surprise, Watt has surpassed both of those figures while helping to ensure he will finish his career in Pittsburgh. Progress has been made rather rapidly, as Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show notes no agreement was imminent as recently as six days ago.

Both parties in this case expressed a desire to work out a deal months ago, but Watt hinted at dissatisfaction with the early state of contract talks. Over time, this became one of many tense situations involving edge rushers around the league. A major domino has now fallen, though, and Watt is on the books through 2028. This agreement falls short of the length he was seeking, but the former Defensive Player of the Year has succeeded in moving the bar for pass rushers and securing multiple years of locked in money.

Watt has led the NFL in sacks on three occasions (2021-22 and 2024) and he has played in every game the past two seasons after a pec tear cost him notable time in 2023. However, a downturn in play late in the campaign and into the postseason last year was viewed as cause for concern on the Steelers’ part regarding a new deal. Watt already reset the market in 2021, but doing so as he enters his age-31 season obviously carries risk for the team. General manager Omar Khan and Co. are certainly banking on a major drop-off not taking place for several more years.

Watt has operated as the anchor of Pittsburgh’s EDGE group over the course of his All-Pro career, and he will remain in that role well beyond the coming season. Rumors about a potential trade circulated amidst his decision to skip minicamp, but a deal never seemed likely or imminent. A holdout (or at least hold-in) effort during training camp will now not be necessary to get this deal over the finish line, something which was the case last time for Watt.

Alex Highsmith has recorded at least six sacks in each of the past four years, and he remains on the books through 2027. He will remain a starter along the edge, with Nick Herbig and fourth-round rookie Jack Sawyer operating as rotational contributors. Watt (who has amassed 33 fumbles and 126 tackles for loss in his career) will be counted on to lead the way in terms of production once again this year and well beyond that point.

The seven-time Pro Bowler has yet to win a playoff game in his career, something Khan and the Steelers have aimed to change this offseason. Pittsburgh has aggressively pursued several new players through trade and free agency, breaking with standard practice in some regards. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, receiver D.K. Metcalf, cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay as well as tight end Jonnu Smith are among the new faces which will be relied on to end the Steelers’ drought for playoff wins in 2025.

Watt will of course also be a central figure in that effort. Regardless of if things go according to plan this year, though, he will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

T.J. Watt Seeking Market-Topping AAV, Four-Year Guarantee From Steelers?

The wait continues around the NFL for several high-profile edge rush contract situations to be sorted out. In the case of T.J. Watt and the Steelers, it remains to be seen if an extension agreement can be reached before Week 1.

Watt has drawn trade interest from suitors, but even though the Steelers are evaluating his value the pending 2026 free agent is widely expected to stay in Pittsburgh for at least one more season. Ensuring his future beyond that point will require another lucrative investment on the team’s part, with Watt a strong candidate to once again reset the pass rush market. A clearer picture of his asking price seems to have emerged.

During Monday’s episode of Kaboly+Mack (video link), Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show laid out the parameters of what he is “pretty sure” Watt is seeking. Per Kaboly, the former Defensive Player of the Year is angling for a five-year contract with the first four years guaranteed at an average annual value higher than Myles Garrett‘s $40MM. Topping Garrett’s mark in terms of per-year compensation has long been expected, but a commitment of that length by the Steelers would certainly be notable.

As evidenced by the fact an agreement is still not in place, the Steelers are not – at least for now – willing to go to those lengths to retain Watt on a third contract. Entering his age-31 season, the seven-time Pro Bowler naturally faces questions about his ability to remain among the league’s top pass rushers over the course of his next deal. Watt’s level of play late in the 2024 campaign is believed to be a cause for concern from the team’s perspective, and projecting his production over the coming years will be key for general manager Omar Khan in arriving at an agreement in this case.

Deviating from standard organizational procedure in a number of ways, Khan has taken a different roster-building approach in some respects than predecessor Kevin Colbert. 2025 in particular has seen the Steelers make notable win-now moves like the Aaron Rodgers signing and the trade acquisition of Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith. Pittsburgh’s chances of making a postseason run would be greatly hindered by trading Watt, and the team’s 1-10 record in games without him certainly helps the four-time All-Pro’s leverage in negotiations.

Steelers players are set to report to training camp on July 23, which marks a somewhat notable checkpoint in this process. A holdout would come as a surprise given the fact it would lead to mandatory fines, although some view Watt as the likeliest player engaged in extension talks to take that route. During negotiations on his second Steelers pact, the three-time sack leader opted to hold in and it would come as no surprise if he did the same this time around.

Garrett’s four-year, $160MM Browns extension (which contains just under $124MM in total guarantees and roughly $89MM locked in at signing) still represents the bar for edge rushers at this point, but Micah Parsons is among the players who could sign a larger deal before Week 1. Watt is in a similar situation despite the age gap between he and Parsons, leaving plenty to be determined over the coming weeks. It will be interesting to see if the Steelers find a middle ground between their valuation and his asking price in time for the start of the season.

Steelers Evaluating T.J. Watt’s Trade Value

The Steelers’ standoff with T.J. Watt continues amid the star edge rusher’s desire to become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

The impasse in negotiations has naturally led to trade speculation. Though teams have reportedly inquired about Watt, the Steelers’ position has been clear: they have no intention of moving the current face of their franchise.

However, the Steelers have been evaluating Watt’s trade value, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). Kaboly said on 93.7 The Fan that Pittsburgh is “obviously inquiring” about the potential return of a Watt trade, characterizing it as “due diligence” as the team is still focused on retaining their all-time sack leader.

Still, exploring Watt’s value on the trade market could give the Steelers information to help them in their negotiation and decision-making process. Lowball offers would indicate that other teams would not sign Watt to a top-of-the-market extension and instead see him as a one-year rental. More aggressive valuations would suggest that other teams see Watt as a long-term investment and may be willing to meet his contract demands.

This is a common practice for teams in contract stalemates, especially with older players. Taking calls on Watt is unlikely to inspire the Steelers to trade him, but it will clarify his value around the league and help them hone in on agreeable extension terms.

Of course, it is possible that another team could blow the Steelers away with their offer and get newly-extended general manager Omar Khan to consider moving the four-time All-Pro. Teams in similar situations have reverse course once the trade compensation hits the table, and Pittsburgh’s desire to add a top quarterback prospect in the 2026 draft may make them more willing to consider a deal. It’s worth noting, however, that interested teams are likely contenders who will only get better by adding Watt, capping the value of their draft picks, which will likely be late in the round.

The expectation remains that Watt and the Steelers will find a way to agree on terms before the season starts. Watt skipped OTAs and minicamp, but is not expected to hold out from training camp. However, he has never expressed any desire to leave Pittsburgh and seems unlikely to demand a trade to fulfill his financial wishes.

Steelers Made Decision To Trade WR George Pickens Immediately After 2024 Season

Following a four-game losing streak to close the regular season, during which the offense put up 107-, 198-, 162-, and 119-yard passing performances, and following the subsequent road playoff exit at the hands of a division rival that passed it for the division lead over those final four games with a four-game winning streak, Pittsburgh knew it had to improve its passing attack. It started with a single trade, but according to NFL Insider Adam Caplan of FOX Sports Radio, the Steelers always knew that two trades were going to take place.

Early in the 2024 NFL offseason, the Steelers made a decision about a position they take a lot of pride in. Watching the offense flounder and fumble away a home playoff game, the team looked to improve its receiving corps. It started in early-March, when the Steelers traded for former-Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf before the start of the new league year. While many looked at the roster as adequately improved, now sporting a pair of Metcalf and George Pickens backed by Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson, the Steelers had made the move with the intention of trading Pickens already in mind.

That’s right, Pittsburgh knew that early that it was moving on from Pickens. In the words of Caplan, the team “made a decision at the end of the 2024 season that they knew that they were not going to extend (Pickens’) contract.” Caplan told listeners, “There was no way this would work with Pickens, they felt, and they were going to move him for whatever they could get. The best they could get. And Dallas was very interested, and they made that work.”

The Cowboys were also in a desperate search for improvement as they sought a suitable WR2 to pair with star receiver CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys made an early offer for Pickens in the days after the Metcalf-trade, but thought they’d try their luck with the draft when the Steelers didn’t bite. Dallas also inquired into trading for Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman. Bateman, also going into the final year of his rookie deal, opted to stay put and signed a three-year, $36.75MM extension to remain in Baltimore.

The Steelers, on the other hand, had already done their research on the prospective pass catchers in the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite having a penchant for uncovering diamonds in the middle rounds of the draft, there were no prospects that the Steelers liked at the values which they were predicted to fall to. In fact, this lack of faith in the draft solving their problems led to the team’s decision to trade for Metcalf. Once Dallas also failed to find anyone at a value they felt was reasonable in the draft, the Cowboys came back with an upped offer, and the Steelers happily accepted.

The plan was never to play Metcalf and Pickens together; Pickens had become a headache in the building, and the two’s style of play are altogether all too similar. An extension was not in the cards for the 24-year-old, so Pittsburgh took a stab at a more proven 27-year-old asset and signed him to a four-year, $132MM extension. It wasn’t a one-for-one, put the team was even able to replenish some of the picks it sent to Seattle with the picks it received from Dallas and was able to replace a troubling, young receiver on the last year of his contract with a proven veteran signed through the 2029 season.

The Steelers played their cards fairly close to their chest, and they played them extremely well. They got the exact improvements for which they were hoping, and even did best by Pickens and the Cowboys, who may both be in a better situation now as a result. It’s not often the full details come out so soon after the dominos finish falling, but with the recent hindsight being nearly 20/20 on these Steelers’ trades, they appear artfully crafted from here.

Kyle Juszczyk On Steelers Interest, 49ers Stay

Despite taking a visit to the Steelers, 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk never wanted to leave San Francisco when he was briefly made a free agent in March.

“It was the worst three days of my life, but I’m genuinely grateful for it now,” said Jusczyzk in an interview with The Athletic’s Vic Tafur. Even though he knew “the door wasn’t shut” when he was released by the 49ers, he still said his goodbyes and considered other options.

While there was interest from other teams, Juszczyk accepted an invitation from the Steelers and met with head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.

“It was a different experience,” said Juszczyk of his visit to Pittsburgh. “It was a chance to go look at a different team and I felt a lot of love from them. I got excited for a second about what possibly could be, about new beginnings and fitting into a new offense, all that type of stuff.”

However, Juszcyzk could not envision himself playing anywhere except San Francisco, and a few days later, he signed a two-year, $7.5MM deal to return for his ninth season with the 49ers. With $7MM of guaranteed money – including $3.15MM in the second year – he is confident that he will not have to deal with a similar situation next offseason.

Instead, he will have two more years as a moveable blocking and receiving weapon in Kyle Shanahan‘s offense, which is expecting a bounce-back year with the return of Christian McCaffrey.

Jusczyzk said that McCaffrey is “arguably the best player in the NFL” and “changes everything” for the 49ers offense. Both participated in the team’s offseason workouts, though McCaffrey’s workload is being carefully managed after his recent injury woes.

“He looks so healthy, he looks so explosive,” said Juszcyzk.

T.J. Watt Not Expected To Engage In Holdout; Steelers Not Seeking Trade

No movement has taken place recently on the T.J. Watt extension front. Still, the situation is unlikely to result in a training camp holdout.

The former Defensive Player of the Year is expected to attend training camp, Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show reports. That comes as no surprise, since a holdout would lead to mandatory fines. In the absence of an extension, a hold-in (whereby players attend camp but do not participate in on-field work) would be more likely. Watt took that route during negotiations on his 2021 extension.

Kaboly adds team and player remain in a holding pattern at this point. Matters such as term and guarantees, but also overall value, are causing the ongoing holdup in this situation. It would be a good sign if there were only one or two sticking points, but there doesn’t appear to be any common ground, at the moment. As a result, Watt could very well find himself engaging in contract talks deep into the summer. Back when he signed his 2021 extension, an agreement wasn’t reached until only three days before the start of the regular season.

With the standoff in the negotiations, teams around the league have been calling to inquire on his availability, but Kaboly maintains that the Steelers have not made any such calls themselves. The team clearly wants to retain his services for the 2025 season, but after a disappointing stretch to end 2024, they’re hesitant to commit to anything long-term.

The four-time first-team All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler turns 31 this season, and though he reached double-digit sacks in 2024, the 11.5 total was his lowest since his rookie season (not counting and injury-riddled 5.5-sack 2022 campaign). Despite a strong 10-3 start to the year, the Steelers found themselves falling from the division lead as they lost their final four games of the season, while the rival Ravens won their final four. Watt was held sackless for the last three games of the regular season, and in both the regular season finale and the playoff loss in Baltimore, Watt failed to add a single statistic to the box score.

The ninth-year veteran defender will continue to push for the deal he wants, though, and a resolution may not end up coming until early-September.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

Steelers Hesitant About T.J. Watt Extension Based On Late-2024 Performances?

As training camps loom around the league, T.J. Watt is one of several notable edge rushers whose financial situation is uncertain. He and the Steelers hope to work out another extension, but considerable work still needs to be done.

Watt was absent from minicamp with no agreement imminent. That remains the case at this point, with both guaranteed money and term length representing sticking points in negotiations. The top of the pass rush market has been known for months, though, leading many to believe other factors are leading to hesitation on the Steelers’ part.

Indeed, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported during a recent appearance on 93.7 The Fan (video link) the sense around the league is that Pittsburgh is hesitant to make another long-term Watt commitment based on how last season ended. Watt wound up with 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six fumbles in 2024. His performances down the stretch and during the team’s wild-card loss fell short of his All-Pro standards, however.

Taking that into account along with his age (31 in October), Watt is not as straightforward of a candidate for a market-topping deal as he was in 2021. That year, the Steelers moved him to the top of the pecking order at an average of just over $28MM. That figure has since been surpassed several times over, and Myles Garrett moved the bar to $40MM per season with his latest Browns pact. Watt aims to surpass him on his third Steelers contract, but the team will need to weigh a potential falloff in production over the coming years.

A torn pec limited Watt to 10 games in 2022. During each of the two seasons preceding that one as well as the campaign following it, however, the seven-time Pro Bowler led the NFL in sacks. That will no doubt be a point of emphasis from his side during negotiations, a process which could last well into the summer. In 2021, Watt engaged in a hold-in during training camp until his deal was finalized mere days before the start of the campaign. A similar sequence could be in store this time around, with Week 1 representing a hard deadline given the Steelers’ philosophy of not negotiating contracts in-season.

The Steelers own a 1-10 record in games Watt has not suited up for during his decorated career. Given the team’s offseason moves centered on competing in 2025, a trade sending him elsewhere would come as a major surprise. Still, speculation about Watt’s situation will continue until an agreement is in place. It will be interesting to see if general manager Omar Khan winds up making a similar investment to the one his predecessor (Kevin Colbert) made four years ago or if he leaves the door open to a potential 2026 free agent departure.