"That's ridiculous": Ex-Steelers CB Joe Haden drops honest take on T.J. Watt trade rumors amid contract holdout
T.J. Watt is currently away from the Pittsburgh Steelers as he seeks a contract extension with the franchise. The edge defender, who signed a four-year, $112 million contract in 2021, wants to have a final big contract in his career before retiring from the league.
Watt is the face of the Steelers' defense. A former Defensive Player of the Year, his absence creates a huge void, with Pittsburgh missing its key piece to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Discussions are still happening, but so far, no deal has been signed.
Former Steelers cornerback Joe Haden has been concerned with the defender's situation, but he's also confident that Watt will be back when the season starts. During an appearance on Kay Adams' "Up & Adams" show, Haden listed the reasons why the Steelers trading the defender would be impossible to think about:
“He’s not going anywhere. That would be ridiculous. It's like with Cam Heyward. At the end of the day, they're gonna work it out. What does that look like for anybody else?
"Anyone that plays for Pittsburgh, if T.J.'s gone, it's like 'Oh, you guys don't wanna win'. It's not about team, it's not about that, if it's about a couple of dollars, you have the money to give T.J. a couple of dollars," he added.
Ian Rapoport believes T.J. Watt, Steelers will "get to a number everyone can be happy with" in contract discussions
The NFL Network reporter recently gave insights on how the negotiations are. While he does not sense an imminent extension, Rapoport believes the defender will be on the field when the season starts.
"I don't get the sense it'll be immediate," Rapoport said on "The Pat McAfee Show". "These things take time. I mean, this is the next big deal for the Steelers to do. I believe they'll get to a number everyone can be happy with. It just hasn't happened yet.
"While the edge might have such a great play, a lot of it is in flux, with Trey Hendrickson and Micah Parsons not done. This is another one that we're kind of waiting on," he added.
Watt is set to have a base salary of $21 million in the 2025 season. The edge market, however, reached new heights during the offseason, with mega extensions coming for Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby. Any extension for Watt will likely see his average salary go north of $35 million.