Trade T.J. Watt?? You’re INSANE
Let’s just call it what it is—trading T.J. Watt would be absolutely insane. In my opinion, it would be one of the worst moves the Steelers could make. Since entering the league in 2017, Watt’s been way more than just consistent—he’s been special. A generational talent with 108 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, and 7 interceptions, he’s not just filling up the stat sheet—he’s redefining what dominance looks like on defense.
And it’s not just about the numbers. Watt is a straight-up game-wrecker. Every single offense in the league knows it. Ask any coach, coordinator, or offensive lineman who has to prepare for the Steelers, and they’ll all say the same thing: job No. 1 is slowing down T.J. Watt. He demands double teams, triple teams, chip blocks—you name it. Entire game plans are built around containing him. That kind of impact? It’s rare.
Yeah, he’s going to be 31 this season. And sure, his next contract might push $40 million a year. But guess what? That’s the price of greatness. You don’t shortchange a future Hall of Famer who’s still playing at an elite level. Even last season, without his usual sack numbers, Watt was arguably the best run defender in the league and still led the NFL with six forced fumbles. His motor never stops. His football IQ is through the roof. His leadership? Off the charts. Stuff like that doesn’t always show up in the box score—but it wins games.
Now, I’ve seen some fans say, “Well, we haven’t even won a playoff game with him.” Okay, fair. But let’s flip that—do we even make the playoffs without him? Probably not. Since Watt was drafted, the Steelers have only won one game without him in the lineup. One. That’s wild. Outside of a franchise quarterback, I can’t think of many players who have that kind of impact on wins and losses.
Still, some people are hesitant. They worry about his age, the salary cap, and long-term planning. But here’s the thing: you don’t just go out and find another T.J. Watt. You could have five first-round picks and still not land a player of his caliber. We’ve seen it time and time again—highly touted prospects who never live up to expectations. Watt, on the other hand, is a sure thing. He’s proven. He’s battle-tested. He’s respected. He’s HIM.
And even now, Watt is continuing to evolve. He’s made it clear—he’s willing to adapt, improve, and do whatever it takes to keep making plays. That’s the kind of guy you build around, not trade away. He’s been a rock for this team, a leader in the locker room, and someone who represents everything the Steelers stand for.
And let’s be real—if you trade someone like Watt while he’s still got gas in the tank, what kind of message does that send to the rest of the team? That loyalty doesn’t matter? That elite production isn’t enough? That leadership isn’t valued? No thanks.
You don’t trade away greatness while they’re still great and just hope you can find it again. You ride with it. You pay it. You appreciate it. And you thank your lucky stars that T.J. Watt wears black and gold—because there’s not another one like him.
The problem with Watt isn’t Watt. It’s the supporting cast around him. Look at the one year (2020) that Tuitt broke out before he retired. Tuitt had 11 sacks and Watt had 15 and the team had 56.
The next year, Tuitt didn’t play and he was replaced, for the most part, by Chris Wormley. That year Watt had 22.5 sacks, Wormley had seven and the team had 55.
The next year Watt was injured on in the first game, but in 2023 he rebounded with 19 sacks. However, Wormley was gone and the guys who replaced him barely moved the needle, registering, 4-5 sacks. As a result, the team total dropped to 47.
Enter 2024, and teams started to realize that there was no cost to throwing everything at TJ, at least from his side. The same cast of characters (Ogunjobi, Benton, Leal) barely moved the needle to fill the gap, registering a paltry 5 sacks together resulting in a team total of 40. Stunts were a miserable failure and Watt had no way to get to the QB then to pound himself to dust against double and triple teams. As he started to wear down, the DC started to try to get creative, but nothing seemed to be effective in forcing the type of defensive plays that had been routine for years. Instead, the defense seemed to spend more time just trynig to hold it’s ground.
That’s why getting a quality D-lineman in the draft seems like such a no brainer. They need someone who can pair with TJ, like Tuitt did. Until they do, teams won’t pay the penalty of throwing eveything they have at Watt.
It should be a fixable problem, but we’ll see.
Say it again for the people in the back! Watt needs to be a Steeler for life
Even if another team was willing to way overpay to get him?
Depending on how much of an overpay but nothing realistic
Yeah, that’s where I am with it too. Unlikely but never say never.
A conversation about the insanity of trading TJ Watt is half-baked when it doesn’t consider the return. In a vacuum, is trading TJ Watt insane? Perhaps. What if a team was willing to give up a top 20 draft pick for him, though. Is that still insane? Perhaps. What if a team was willing to give up a top 10 draft pick for him. Is that still insane? I would argue that it would be insane to not at that point. What if a team was willing to give up a 2nd and a 3rd for him. Would that be insane? I don’t know.
My point is that trading any player is sane if the return dictates that it is. TJ Watt is not immune that notion. If another team is willing to give up something stupid for him then the Steelers should do it.
I don’t agree as your logic still breaks down from my perspective. “What about a TOP 10 draft pick, though?” Look over the last several drafts…many top ten players bust. I’m not sure any players drafted in the top 10 in the last several years will have the hall of fame career impact of Watt. There might, in the end, be a couple of qb’s, but 1) maybe not and 2) there are a lot more top 10 qb’s drafted that won’t than will have the same level of impact over the next five years than Watt likely will.
So, “What about for a top ten draft pick?” In my opinion…still very, very insane.
Literally, there isn’t a single GM or coach in the NFL that wouldn’t trade TJ Watt for a top 10 draft pick. Perhaps you are thinking emotionally and not logically?
Yes, plenty of top 10 draft picks fail. Plenty of them end up getting into the Hall of Fame too. That type of chance is prevalent everywhere. Heck, plenty of linebackers have had their careers shortened by injury. With your logic, the Steelers shouldn’t consider resigning TJ Watt because, if he gets hurt, he might fail.
Mic. Dropped.
a true Pittsburgh Steelers fan, since the 70’s fake news T.J. Watt isn’t going anywhere T.J. Watt get a lot of double and triple team now T.J. Watt will be moving around so offenses won’t know where T.J. Watt is coming from
It’s been reported that TJ Watt playing strictly on the right was of his own doing.
Not that long ago, we watched the Killer Bees implode because of character issues. Trading TJ (or Minkah) and signing Rodgers flies in the face of what we should have learned from that mess.
Let’s put a young stud DL next to Cam and we’re knocking on the door of 60 sacks.
THANK YOU! I really don’t know what it is among so many fans…not sure if it’s baseball philosophy creep- players are just bubble gum cards…or maybe it’s overflow from Patriots Belichick/ Brady and KC Reid/ Mahommes. The thing is in order for high quality players to be thus expendable you have to have a Hall of Fame coaching mind on one side of the ball and an all time great qb at your core. If you don’t have that- and the Steelers have neither- then shedding superstar players just ain’t gonna pan out like you hope. There are several highly productive players in the NFL that are playing beyond the age Watt will be at the conclusion of his next contract. Things have changed and age bias against 30 years is just not as reliably right as it once was.
For every player you name who stayed great after 30 I will name you 10 that didn’t. Making rules out of exceptions is foolhardy to say the least.
There’s no doubt that Watt is an exceptional player but, playing for the Steelers, his efforts (and those of Cam Heyward) have largely been wasted due to the lack of offensive support. This is what historically has happened to NFL teams that never win Super Bowls — they continually select blue-chip players in the Draft, yet still they never go anywhere in the playoffs.
With his incredible, splash-play ability, Watt largely has been carrying this team since he was drafted. But what the Steelers need most of all is another franchise quarterback. If they can make a deal involving Watt to secure the QB they need, it’ll be worth it in the long run. Offense is far more important than defense for winning championships in today’s game. Without a top QB, there’s no way any team can be a serious contender.