Yes, T.J. Watt is a holdout for the Steelers, and he is no Le'Veon Bell


The Steelers cannot afford to have this guy on the sidelines


… you cannot have your best defensive player sit


Technically, the Steelers are not calling what is happening in the preseason to their outstanding young linebacker T.J. Watt as a “holdout.”


Memo to Rooney: Yes, he is withholding his services right now because he wants to be paid like the All-Pro that he is. 


Here is a summary of what he accomplished in 2020,

  • First team, All-Pro as edge rusher
  • Second team, All-Pro as linebacker
  • Third in Defensive Player of the Year
  • Ranked 25th in NFL top 100 players of 2020

Nevertheless, he is being treated by the Steelers as a rookie who has not proven himself. The team often does that. Remember other holdouts like Franco Harris who earned membership in the NFL Hall of Fame but was cut by the Steelers after holding out more than 30 years ago.?


How much money is on the table?


This is going to be expensive, and very expensive if he decides to sit out the season. This is not a Le’Veon Bell situation. The Steelers need him particularly after losing Bud Dupree on the other side. 


So, he is making just $10 million, which is not shabby. However, it is not in the ball park of the best pass rushers in the league, which he is,


Call it a tacit holdout, a cautious start to camp, or just call it a business decision. But there seems to be some clarity as to why Steelers star edge rusher T.J. Watt has been limited so far in practice, and it has everything to do with his lack of a contract extension.


“Hey, that’s none of my business. I hope he signs a contract. Let’s get it done, and when he gets that done, we’ll talk about that,” said Keith Butler, the Steelers defensive coordinator and Watt’s position coach, after practice Saturday.


It was almost as if Butler had just sipped on truth serum. Everyone from team president Art Rooney II to general manager Kevin Colbert to head coach Mike Tomlin to Watt himself has been leery of tipping their hand when it comes to matters of money. And when you’re talking Watt, you’re talking a lot.


Going into his fifth season, and his last under contract, Watt is set to play in 2021 on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal. That equates to just over $10 million fully guaranteed, but similarly accomplished pass-rushers Joey Bosa and Myles Garrett are making between $25 and $27 million annually. But it’s Watt who led the league in sacks last year with 15, his third straight campaign of 13 or more.


Brian Batko, “'It's a business': Steelers star T.J. Watt is on the sideline, but 

his contract is center stage,” Post-Gazette, August 7, 2020


Tomlin has to be worried


Many Steeler fans are predicting that Coach Mike Tomlin’s string of non-losing seasons will end this year. Without Watt, those numbers increase exponentially. 


The coach tried to avoid the inevitable questions about his star linebacker,


“I’m not speculating in that regard. I just focus on today and who’s working and getting better that way,” Tomlin said. “I’m sure that’s going to naturally run its course. I know he’s working hard with our trainers, so we’ll see where it all leads us.”


To Tomlin’s point, Watt doesn’t just sit and watch his friends play. Of course he doesn't, he’s T.J. Watt. He spends much of practice running sprints, training with a resistance band, and doing hand-eye coordination drills with Steelers staffers.

And he keeps an eye on what’s unfolding between the lines, naturally. Last time Watt said his own piece on his status with the Steelers, he shrugged off anything injury-related and spiked all the contract stuff like an outside hitter more than an outside linebacker.


Maybe this is just one of those August NFL stories that is much ado about nothing come September. That’s essentially the deadline date for Watt and the Steelers to agree on an extension, before kickoff at 1 p.m. Sept. 12 against the Bills.


Until then, Watt Watch continues.


Brian Batko, Post-Gazette, August 7, 2020


The truth is simple: T.J. Watt is the Steelers’ best defensive player. No one else. Without him, they are in big trouble. 


And with Art Rooney in charge, the Steelers are in trouble. 


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