Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Gives Promising New Update On TJ Watt's Holdout

The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially concluded their offseason workouts prior to training camp, and everyone will be expected to report back in late July. They even finally came to a deal with Aaron Rodgers, and he showed up for mandatory minicamp, so there are no more questions about what's happening on that front. The only concern now is TJ Watt's apparent holdout. He is still looking for a massive extension, and he is likely willing to sit out the entire preseason again if it means getting what he believes he deserves. 

During a recent post-practice press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about Watt's status. He refused to give specific details, but he did give an update that Steeler Nation will be happy to hear.

"I'm not going to get into speculation there, you guys know what negotiations is about," said Tomlin. "I'm optimistic we're going to get things done because we got two sides that want to get things done. When that's going to occur, I do not know."

Watt is a captain and the lifeblood of this team. Losing him on bad terms like this would be a major blow to the whole organization. There is no update on how close or far away negotiations are between the two sides at this point, but with six weeks between now and the start of training camp, there will be a lot of conversations about getting this extension finalized and signed so he can join his teammates again.

Even if the coaching staff is agitated with this holdout, they won't let that be known publicly until at least after the deal is done, if at all. They are likely very frustrated with the Cleveland Browns, however, as they completely reset the market to keep Myles Garrett around. If it wasn't for that, there would have been a very good chance that Watt showed up to mandatory minicamp with a new deal significantly less than $40 million per year.

Instead, Watt's agents are likely giving their case for why he should make quarterback-type money and be paid more than Garrett and Ja'Marr Chase. Deals like this don't settle quickly. The most likely scenario is that the former Defensive Player of the Year is not present on July 24th for the first day of training camp, or he shows up, but doesn't participate in team drills (like we saw in 2021).

Steelers Must Pay Watt At All Costs

Everyone knows the stat by now: the Steelers have only won one single game when Watt misses at least half of a game. There would be absolutely no point in signing Rodgers to go for one last ride if the face of the franchise is in Watt gone. Trading him away is a sign of the team embracing a rebuild, and that completely goes against the Steeler Way. 

Watt took a step back as far as production from 2023 to 2024. However, most edge rushers would do anything to have that kind of a "down year" where they lead the league in forced fumbles and rack up double-digit sacks. Even with an outside linebacker core as stacked as Pittsburgh's, he can't simply be replaced by one player. He does so much more than what the stat sheet says. 

Luckily, the Steelers have almost $19 million in cap space. If they don't make another big move in the offseason, they could use some of that for Watt's new extension. Usually, that is done to add money to the current year, but they can do the opposite and save money in a future year, even if the number isn't heavily significant. The bottom line is that the Steelers can get this new deal done with Watt if they really want to.

What do you think about Tomlin's update on Watt's holdout? How long do you think this will last? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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