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It’s time for the Steelers to embrace a rebuild.
The Cleveland Browns and Myles Garrett agreed to a contract extension that will pay him $40 million per year. This came after a month-long standoff following a trade request made by Garrett. Just days after a report saying he wouldn’t entertain extension talks with the Browns, Garrett signed the richest deal for a non-quarterback in NFL history to remain in Cleveland.
After both Garrett and Crosby have received extensions over the last week, the Steelers will almost certainly gear up to do the same for T.J. Watt, but is that the right move? At this point, it would be better to trade Watt to a contender and embrace a rebuild.
Before you react, it’s important to recognize that T.J. Watt is one of the greatest Steelers of all time and will be a Hall of Famer once his career concludes. Nonetheless, it doesn’t make financial sense for the organization to pay him over $40 million per season, considering where they are as a franchise. Trading Watt to a team like the Buffalo Bills or Green Bay Packers for a hoard of draft picks would be the more forward-thinking move rather than remaining in mediocrity with fan-favorite veterans taking up a huge chunk of the team’s cap.
Will this happen? Almost certainly not, so this is likely the equivalent of me talking to an empty box, but the Steelers’ sense of sentimentalism is doing more harm than good. And again, I’m a fan more than anything – I love watching Watt make incredible plays every week as much as anybody. But for both the team and the player, it’s best to move on. The Steelers can begin a true rebuild, and Watt can chase a Super Bowl with a contender, which he more than deserves to do.