Watt a no show at mandatory camp

[feltdizz]

Wants a new contract. How do we feel about Watt holding out and not honoring his contract?

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Wants a new contract. How do we feel about Watt holding out and not honoring his contract?

I'm not a fan of it. He received the security of a long-term deal and remained the highest paid at his position for most of that term. Now that he's been surpassed, he wants to be paid at the new level. Why would a team dish out a long-term deal if the player will just stop playing when he thinks it's not enough. It's not like he's on his rookie deal and making 10% of what Garrett is. $122M over the last 5 years is fair compensation and what was agreed to.

[hackjam]

Same thing with the last deal, no?

This seems like standard practice these days.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I'm not a fan of it. He received the security of a long-term deal and remained the highest paid at his position for most of that term. Now that he's been surpassed, he wants to be paid at the new level. Why would a team dish out a long-term deal if the player will just stop playing when he thinks it's not enough. It's not like he's on his rookie deal and making 10% of what Garrett is. $122M over the last 5 years is fair compensation and what was agreed to.

Should qualify this....unless there is an understanding with the team.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Same thing with the last deal, no?

This seems like standard practice these days.

I think the last time was a hold-in IIRC.

[Prowler]

Trade him right now! It's not as though this team has any chance of winning the Superbowl. May as well get a couple of 1st rounders for him, so we can get a franchise QB.

Same thing happens every year in the playoffs. Our defense gets demolished and TJ Watt is the star on that side of the ball so......His paper stats are meaningless in the playoffs just like Tomlin. Time to go TJ.

[feltdizz]

I'm not a fan of it. He received the security of a long-term deal and remained the highest paid at his position for most of that term. Now that he's been surpassed, he wants to be paid at the new level. Why would a team dish out a long-term deal if the player will just stop playing when he thinks it's not enough. It's not like he's on his rookie deal and making 10% of what Garrett is. $122M over the last 5 years is fair compensation and what was agreed to.

last year of a deal players want that new contract. I understand why he is doing it but yall also know I wanted to trade him because if he gets another monster contract it will handcuff us and we haven’t really benefitted from these big money contracts.

[Northern_Blitz]

Same thing with the last deal, no?

This seems like standard practice these days.

Last time he did a "hold in", where he was there but didn't participate (or had very minimal participation).

I think the last CBA made holdouts very rare because teams couldn't retroactively waive fines like they could in the past. But maybe it's more likely on 3rd contracts. I think that the DL for KC held out last year or the year before.

I think the fines are automatically applied for every day missed. But maybe that's only actual camp?

I suppose that being on the 3rd contract makes it easier to pay the fines (if they're applied for minicamp).

I expect that it will go to the wire again with TJ. He's clearly happy to play hardball on contracts to get as much FMV as he can. And at the end, we'll get another piece about how he really wanted to just come play the whole time and it was his agent and the Steelers holding everything up.

In the end, I don't fault players for trying to get every penny they can for sacrificing their bodies (and longevity) for the game.

I wasn't against Bell or Ben trying either. But I was probably more opposed to giving them the big offers we gave them. The new CBA forces teams to spend money. And since we've been so bad at drafting (particularly on the offensive side), we don't really have anyone home grown to pay money to...so we'll overpay in UFA (DK this year, someone else...maybe two other people next year).

I'd rather they got this done early. But I think the only way to do that is to overpay him by even more. He knows that there are still a couple big deals that are out there even after skull-splitter signed.

[NorthCoast]

When you are shut out by a rookie tackle in the playoffs you should come back to the team with hat in hand.....

Dan Rooney would play some hardball with Watt.

[Northern_Blitz]

When you are shut out by a rookie tackle in the playoffs you should come back to the team with hat in hand.....

Dan Rooney would play some hardball with Watt.

In a sense, I suppose that's what we're doing?

If we weren't, we probably would have signed a deal a while ago.

But in the end, I think he probably has more leverage than the team does. And there isn't much downside for him to wait it out to see if the market moves up even more.

It will be an over payment. Hopefully, he has at least 2 really good years left.

["BuzzNuter"]

What is it that Watt wants? Does he want 35M$ + per year for 3 years?
My criteria for being worth what you want is how do you perform when it's on the line?

Unfortunately for Mr. Watt he has disappeared at the end of the year the last 2 years. Was he hurt? So what what has he produced? He's a good player but he's not the best edge rusher in the NFL so he shouldn't be paid accordingly. He should take a 3 year extension for what his average was for his present contract. What is he asking for.

[hawaiiansteel]

What is it that Watt wants? Does he want 35M$ + per year for 3 years?
My criteria for being worth what you want is how do you perform when it's on the line?

Unfortunately for Mr. Watt he has disappeared at the end of the year the last 2 years. Was he hurt? So what what has he produced? He's a good player but he's not the best edge rusher in the NFL so he shouldn't be paid accordingly. He should take a 3 year extension for what his average was for his present contract. What is he asking for.

Reportedly, TJ wants a contract similar to the one signed by Myles Garrett in the $40 million annually range.

["BuzzNuter"]

Reportedly, TJ wants a contract similar to the one signed by Myles Garrett in the $40 million annually range.

What do you think? I don't think Watt deserves it. Just because the dumba**es in Cleveland want to pay Garrett, we shouldn't pay Watt that much. I know he was hurt at the end the last two years but that's not the Steelers fault. He's not going to get paid for what he's going to do. What did he do, when the pressure was on and we needed him he was a no show. He's on the downside.

[Northern_Blitz]

What is it that Watt wants? Does he want 35M$ + per year for 3 years?
My criteria for being worth what you want is how do you perform when it's on the line?

Unfortunately for Mr. Watt he has disappeared at the end of the year the last 2 years. Was he hurt? So what what has he produced? He's a good player but he's not the best edge rusher in the NFL so he shouldn't be paid accordingly. He should take a 3 year extension for what his average was for his present contract. What is he asking for.

He's going to want more than this IMO. And probably for 4 or 5 years. Last time he wanted 4 instead of 5 so he could get to this point while he was still in his prime. No point for the team to do more than 5 since the cap hit of the SB can only be spread out over 5 years (or the length of the contract).

Garrett just signed a 4 year $40MM per year extension. And I think there are other marquee edge rushers that haven't signed yet.

Watt will certainly be asking to get at least a dollar more per year than Garrett.

And it's possible that one of the other guys passes Garrett since MG signed so early in the offseason. Which is almost certainly why Watt waited until the last minute to sign last time.

Based on previous actions, Watt isn't going to give the team a home town discount. And honestly, pretty sure none of us would in his shoes either. I thought the same for Bell and for Ben (even though I didn't want the team to give them the extensions they ended up offering them). Players should fight for every penny they can get IMO. And teams should fight just as hard to keep that money for the rest of the team.

[feltdizz]

and now some of you see why I wanted to trade Watt. $40 Mill or even $35 Mill per year is too much for a 31 year old player with zero stats his last 5’games.