Last month, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk underscored the striking irony unfolding in Pittsburgh’s front office priorities. Florio observed that the Steelers are willing to hand new arrivals like DK Metcalf a substantial deal (four-year, $132M, as per Spotrac) without hesitation. Yet when it comes to rewarding a veteran like T.J. Watt, the response has been deafening silence. “DK Metcalf — when they give him a five-year, $130 million contract, and he’s never played for the team before — that’s going to embolden [T.J. Watt], who’s been a loyal servant since 2017.”

Florio raised the question pointedly. What type of message is this selective generosity sending to Watt? Fast forward to now, and the Steelers have doubled down on splashy moves, acquiring CB Jalen Ramsey in a $26.6M trade from the Dolphins. Almost immediately, ESPN’s Adam Schefter added another layer to the tension around Watt’s future. “Multiple teams have been discussing whether they can trade for Steelers’ standout T.J. Watt… he’s (Watt) unhappy with his contractual situation and sources believe outside team interest is likely to increase given today’s (Ramsey’s) trade.”

Again, what kind of message does this escalating investment in outsiders send to a franchise player still waiting for overdue recognition? The vision seems clear: either the Steelers are not interested in Watt’s contract extension, or they’re interested in a trade. Enter Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan, who just shared his latest insight on Watt’s contract saga.

Fillipponi remained on board with Schefter’s report that teams are interested in Watt’s trade. “I had an agent tell me this is TJ’s way of requesting a trade. Without asking for a trade,” Fillipponi reported. He went on and shared an interesting theory: “They want teams to make trade offers. Without the hoopla of making a formal trade request. Interesting theory.” Translation?

Well, rather than requesting a formal trade, TJ Watt is staying silent and letting his actions (skipping workouts) speak for him. The idea is pretty simple: if other teams notice this, they will eventually start calling the Steelers’ front office, asking for the veteran defensive end’s availability. Watt gets what he wants—a possible trade—without publicly demanding one. The Steelers will probably get away from scrutiny. But still, it’s still an interesting theory.

Watt’s been holding out the complete offseason. He skipped the OTAs. He skipped the mandatory minicamp, risking around $105K in fines. With the training camp looming next, it’s unlikely Watt will show up there. The Steelers barely do a contract extension before the regular season. And they barely do a contract extension until the player shows up for the team drills. TJ Watt never showed up. And there are still a couple of months left in the regular season.

So, while the contract extension is still stuck in limbo. Count possible trade negotiations in the mix as well. As for the Steelers’ future without Watt? Well, that’ll be a concern.

What is Jalen Ramsey’s trade teaching us amidst T.J. Watt’s contract saga?

Just a few hours before the calendar flipped to July, the Steelers traded for Jalen Ramsey, along with Jonnu Smith and a 2027 seventh-round pick from the Dolphins. The writing was already on the wall, given that the Steelers were looking to bolster their secondary. With Ramsey in the Steel City, the folks out there believe that the 30-year-old cornerback will complement Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. in the Steelers’ secondary.

But let’s face it—at this point, Pittsburgh’s secondary seems solid, no argument. However, the way things are shaping up, T.J. Watt’s future is still hanging by a thread. And maybe—just maybe, if Watt were to get traded ahead of the 2025 season, who exactly is going to be the one rushing the quarterback, setting the edge against the run, and dropping into coverage when it matters most? A major concern for Mile Tomlin. Jalen Ramsey?

Well, it might sound odd, but the 30-year-old had played linebacker in his collegiate career. “I played a little linebacker, a player who can do a lot of things for a team, can make plays, be a game changer, that’s what’s needed,” Ramsey revealed back in 2016, ahead of the 2016 NFL draft, highlighting his versatility. “Most people think just offensive players can make plays, change games, make big plays, but as we saw in the Super Bowl this year, Von Miller, he was the game changer, he was the playmaker, that whole defense.”

With Darius Slay and Joey Porter Jr. expected to play outside corner, most will argue that Ramsey will play slot corner. And it makes sense. After all, the 7-times Pro Bowler played in the slot for quite some time in Miami last year. Yet, it could be a possibility. Will he? Won’t he? Too early to predict. And that we shall see.