Is Steelers All-Pro pass rusher T.J. Watt available to trade suitors?
That’s the question multiple teams in the NFL are asking Monday, according to ESPN, after Pittsburgh pulled off a trade for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Watt, 30, has 108 career sacks as he enters the final year of a four-year, $112 million contract he signed in 2021. That contract averages $28 million per year, far less than the going rate for premium pass rushers.
Division rival Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns reset the market in March with a $123.5 million guarantee on a contract he signed following a trade demand. His annual average salary of $40 million is the highest in the NFL for non-quarterbacks.
When Watt skipped mandatory minicamp this month and voluntary offseason team activities in the spring, he did not indicate whether he wants to hit the top of the market or surpass Garrett’s compensation package.
The Steelers are not expected to shop Watt.
But ESPN reported teams are more likely to check in with Pittsburgh general manager Omar Khan following the acquisition of Ramsey because the Steelers picked up $19.6 million of his $26.6 million salary for 2025.
Watt is a four-time All-Pro and has spent his eight-year career with the Steelers since entering the NFL as a first-round pick in 2017.
He has six seasons with at least 11.5 sacks — his total last season — and has forced 33 fumbles in his career. That’s the most in the NFL over the last eight years, eight more than the Los Angeles Chargers’ Khalil Mack. Garrett shares third with 20.
–Field Level Media
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