Former Steelers Beat Writer Would Trade T.J. Watt in a Heartbeat: ‘I’m Gonna Be Cutthroat’
Former Pittsburgh Steelers beat writer Ed Bouchette doubled down that the Steelers should not give All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt an extension. He even thinks the Steelers should consider trading the future Hall of Famer.
“I’d either let him play out his deal, or, this is blasphemy, I ‘d trade him,” Bouchette said on 93.7 The Fan.
Bouchette pointed out that he saw Steelers legends like Franco Harris and other not retire in the Black and Gold, so Watt won’t be the first one to not be a one-helmet guy. It’s just a part of the business.
Bouchette said the Steelers have to be cutthroat like Bill Belichick.
“They were gonna let [Troy] Polamalu go if he didn’t retire,” Bouchette said. “I don’t know,I just think [Watt] has a special place here, but me, I’m gonna be Bill Belichick here. I’m gonna be cutthroat. I’m saying we’re not winning this year, probably not winning next year.”
Watt, 30, did have a bit of a down year in 2024, registering the third least sacks in a season (11.5) in his career. The other two seasons were his rookie year (seven sacks) and 2022 (5.5 sacks) when he played in just 10 games due to a knee injury.
Watt has also never won a playoff game, so there’s been some speculation that he would want to move on somewhere else to compete for a Super Bowl. He shut down those rumors, however, stating that he wants to be a one-helmet guy.
“I want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler,” Watt said. “You guys know that. I don’t want to leave this place. I want to be part of the solution. I’ve put so much into it here.”
Watt is heading into the final year on his contract, but he’s expected to receive an extension this offseason.
“I feel like we have the pieces,” Watt said. “It’s what I said a week ago going into the game. It doesn’t change just because of the loss. I still have a lot of belief in the people in this building because I see the work that’s behind the scenes.”