With only one year left on his current contract, T.J. Watt is seeking an extension. Unfortunately, he and the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t figured out a deal yet. As a result, Watt is skipping mandatory minicamp this year. While it’s still likely that the two sides will agree to terms on a new contract, this is a big move from Watt. It shows how serious he is. However, Ben Roethlisberger has a theory on why Watt isn’t attending minicamp.
“This year, [Watt’s] not there,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his podcast, Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger. “So, you ask the question, what’s the difference? I don’t know. Only T.J. knows the difference. My only speculation and guess is they must not be close. If you’re close, I would think that T.J. would do what he did last time.
“Like, ‘Okay, I’ll show up. We’re close, we’ll get this thing done.’ Maybe they’re not even in the ballpark. And T.J.’s like, ‘Why am I coming if we’re not in the ballpark?’ Again, total speculation, no idea. I’m just trying to figure out what’s the difference between this time and last time. It’s a very similar situation.”
It’s fair to wonder why Watt is staying away from the Steelers during this contract dispute. The last time he wanted an extension, it didn’t get done until right before the season began. However, Watt was still with the team throughout the offseason. He just didn’t practice with them.
This time, Watt is sending a message that he’s very serious about wanting a pay raise. That makes sense, though. At the moment, he’s severely underpaid. Watt is arguably the best edge rusher in the league, and yet, there are several players at the position making more money than him.
Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby, who are among Watt’s peers, both received massive extensions this offseason. Both of those deals increased Watt’s price. The Steelers waited to get a deal done, and it cost them.
Reports have also indicated that no deal for Watt is imminent. That lends credence to Roethlisberger’s theory that the two sides aren’t close on a deal. There’s no telling if that’s actually true, but it seems like negotiations could continue to drag on.
Still, it feels like the Steelers will eventually give Watt a new deal. Coaches and teammates don’t sound worried about the situation. It’s something to monitor, especially going into training camp. That’s usually when the Steelers have gotten a lot of their deals done. They want to be a competitive team this year, so they need Watt. Their team is much worse without him.
