T.J. Watt Could End Up As The Odd Man Out For Steelers
Amongst a crowded room of EDGE rushers, T.J. Watt might end up finding himself as the outsider down the line for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In a piece centered around NFL executives predicting how the 2027 offseason will transpire, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote that the Steelers may consider shopping Watt around at that point in time, especially if they sign Nick Herbig to a massive extension while already paying Alex Highsmith a hefty amount of money as well.
"To the point above: If the Steelers end up signing Herbig long term, having three large contracts allocated to one position is a tough proposition," Fowler wrote.
"Watt, for all his greatness, turns 32 in October and has guaranteed salaries of $32 million in both 2026 and 2027.
"Watt is a legacy player, something Pittsburgh values more than most. But some teams could see Pittsburgh at least considering moving on from him."
Is a Watt Trade Realistic?
In order for a Watt trade to take shape, Pittsburgh will likely have to hold onto Highsmith, who's had trade rumors of his own follow him around, and also hand Herbig a new deal either this summer or next offseason after his rookie contract expires.
Parting ways with Watt and one of their other two EDGE rushers wouldn't make much sense for the Steelers unless they have a suitable backup plan in place, and even so they'd run the risk of quickly turning arguably their biggest roster strength into a weakness.
Strictly on paper, Watt is the most logical of Pittsburgh's trade candidates at the position. The 31-year-old's production declined in 2025, posting 7.0 sacks and three forced fumbles in 14 games as compared to 11.5 sacks and six forced fumbles across 17 contests in 2024, and he isn't getting any younger either.
With his title as the Steelers' No. 1 EDGE rusher slowly slipping from his grasp if it hasn't already, the organization would be smart to recoup any value they can next offseason when he's entering the penultimate year of his three-year, $123 million extension that he landed last summer.
Pittsburgh, in all likelihood, won't look to move Watt this offseason as it focuses on extension talks with Herbig.
It also won't land a first-round pick for him unless he bounces back in a major way in 2026, but if a team is willing to part ways with a second-rounder ahead of the 2027 campaign, the Steelers would have to think long and hard about trading their franchise icon, even if doing so is easier said than done given Watt's importance to the organization,
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as T.J. Watt Could End Up As The Odd Man Out For Steelers.
Copyright ABG-SI LLC. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM.