Whether he intended to or not, Pittsburgh Steelers superstar linebacker T.J. Watt fueled trade speculation with some cryptic social media activity two weeks ago.
Watt hasn’t at all indicated that he wants to leave the Steelers, but he is entering the final year of a four-year extension worth $112 million he signed in 2021. If the two sides don’t feel confident about getting an extension done in the coming days, Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan may shop Watt at the 2025 NFL Draft.
If the Steelers were to shop T.J. Watt, there’d be no shortage of teams interested in the future Hall of Famer. More than a dozen teams would probably inquire about his availability, but it’s safe to assume Pittsburgh would rather trade him to a non-rival club over in the NFC.
The Carolina Panthers immediately stand out as a realistic landing spot for Watt, as long as he’d be willing to sign an extension there. Carolina had the league’s worst scoring defense last year, allowing a ridiculous 31.4 points per game.
Trading superstar pass rusher to the New York Giants last year, predictably, created a giant void on the front seven. The Panthers play in the winnable NFC South, so GM Dan Morgan should feel inclined to make a blockbuster move for T.J. Watt.
What Panthers Should Offer Steelers For T.J. Watt
Watt may be entering his age-31 season, but he’s one of the league’s elite defensive players, with 108 career sacks in 121 games. The Panthers have to try and win while they have Bryce Young on his rookie deal, and at the end of the day, draft picks are merely lottery tickets.
A fair offer would be the No. 8 and No. 57 picks (via the Los Angeles Rams) in exchange for Watt and the No. 21 selections. Pittsburgh gets two valuable top-60 picks to help their retooling phase, and Carolina still gets a first-round pick while snagging one of football’s elite defensive game-changers.
