Former Pro-Bowl QB Begs Steelers' TJ Watt And Cam Heyward To Make NFL Owners Scared

The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting ready for the 2025 NFL season but not without some slight distractions. Chris Boswell and Cam Heyward had it revealed they were wanting more money for the 2025 season. While those negotiations are still being worked out, it brings up a greater point. Former NFL quarterback Matt Schaub sent a clear message. If NFL players want to avoid being outmaneuvered by owners when the next CBA negotiations arrive, they must prepare well in advance and explore alternative options. 

He argues that the NFLPA has historically lacked true bargaining power because players have nowhere else to go. By visiting Saudi Arabia, or at least showing a willingness to explore partnerships with international investors, stars like TJ Watt and Heyward could send a message that players are no longer confined to the financial structure dictated solely by NFL ownership. 

It is not about starting a new league tomorrow, but about reminding the NFL that players could create options if treated unfairly. The CBA currently runs through the 2030 NFL season but Schaub wrote in his article for Go Long why he wants superstars like Watt and Heyward to visit Saudi Arabia in an attempt to create leverage.

"If I were the Executive Director of the NFLPA, one of the first things I’d do is ask Patrick Mahomes, T.J. Watt, Micah Parsons, Josh Allen, Cam Heyward, Lamar Jackson, and a bunch of other NFL stars to visit Saudi Arabia," Schaub wrote in his article about the NFL and the CBA.

For the Steelers, this situation highlights how individual contractual disputes and league-wide labor battles are very connected. While fans are eager to see the team make a strong run in 2025, the attention around veteran stars like Heyward points to the larger financial tensions brewing beneath the surface. 

If Schaub’s vision takes hold, the next decade of NFL labor negotiations could look very different, with marquee names like Watt potentially playing a pivotal role in shaping how players push for guaranteed contracts and a larger share of the league’s massive revenue growth.

Watt has already set a high standard in negotiations. Twice, he reset the market for his position group and became the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. With his most recent massive extension, he is expected to make $41 million per year. While that is awesome for Watt, Schaub is arguing that much more needs to be done to protect NFL players from being taken advantage of by team owners.

Steelers' TJ Watt And Cam Heyward Could Play Big Role In Future Of NFL

Schaub emphasizes that the central issue is leverage. That is the main point of his article. He wants to make a real impact and safeguard players’ interests, but he also sees a role for superstars like Watt and Heyward in creating leverage on a league-wide scale. Schaub points to examples from soccer and golf, where international opportunities have shifted bargaining power. 

If future CBA negotiations do not go favorably, players may need a backup plan, and that plan could involve exploring opportunities like visiting Saudi Arabia to strengthen their negotiating position. Other superstars in other leagues have done it.

The NFL recently had a collusion scandal brought to light. It was a situation that did not favor the players and kept them in the dark about owners colluding to avoid paying guaranteed contracts. This is a major reason why Schaub is trying to take such a hands-on approach.

Do you think Schaub makes a valid point about Heyward and Watt needing to rally the stars in the NFL to create leverage? Let us know in the comments below! Please feel free to share your Steelers takes with me on X @anthonyghalkias and follow me. 

#SteelerNation