Watt's Up with T.J.?

[NorthCoast]

this some of the most flawed logic I've ever heard

without watt being the player he is, we may not get to the playoffs at all

again, we will have plenty of cap space next season. who do you wanna be GMs want to pay? it will also set a terrible precedent to not pay a guy who by all accounts has been a solid teammate and a hard worker as well as being a professional off the field

plenty of cap space sure... with only 30 some players under contract. And some of those unsigned players will be top tier signings. Add to that a bunch more dead money from this year's gang. So the number on the books looks gaudy but it isn't real.

[feltdizz]

plenty of cap space sure... with only 30 some players under contract. And some of those unsigned players will be top tier signings. Add to that a bunch more dead money from this year's gang. So the number on the books looks gaudy but it isn't real.

For $30 mill with $100 mill guaranteed Watt should be able to play 4 to 5 positions

[Eddie Spaghetti]

should get rid of minkah as well when he wants a fair market value contract?

let's just pay a bunch of average players an equal amount of money. im sure that will bring wins and championships

[feltdizz]

should get rid of minkah as well when he wants a fair market value contract?

let's just pay a bunch of average players an equal amount of money. im sure that will bring wins and championships

Championships???

Watt hasn’t even brought us a playoff win yet or a sack in a playoff game yet.

This is part of the reason some wonder if paying market rate is a good move.

I would rather pay $15 to $17 mill per than $30 mill.

[Shawn]

The Steelers are ultimately in control. I highly doubt TJ sits out the season. The Steelers won't blink and I don't think they plan on paying him 30 million per year.

[SteelBucks]

The Steelers are ultimately in control. I highly doubt TJ sits out the season. The Steelers won't blink and I don't think they plan on paying him 30 million per year.

I guarantee the Steelers will give him at least 30M per season. I’ve been wrong a lot but everything I’ve heard points to that figure.

[feltdizz]

I guarantee the Steelers will give him at least 30M per season. I’ve been wrong a lot but everything I’ve heard points to that figure.

At least? Whoa.. that is quite the prediction.

I hope you are wrong, for our cap’s sake.. lol

[Eich]

According to “Yinz Nation”:

In a shocking turn of events my source has indicated that the Pittsburgh Steelers and TJ Watt have come to an agreement with a 5 year contract extension making TJ the highest paid defensive player in the NFL

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Championships???

Watt hasn’t even brought us a playoff win yet or a sack in a playoff game yet.

This is part of the reason some wonder if paying market rate is a good move.

I would rather pay $15 to $17 mill per than $30 mill.

what you would rather pay means about as much as the turd i flushed down the toilet after a bowl of cereal this morning

the market says edge defenders make 25-30 million per. thinking watt should play for what we want or kick rocks reeks of a resentment or bias of some sort. I wonder what it could be?

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

FWIW Sportrac often does an analysis of player contract value. They take comparables, adjust for time, age at signing etc. and then adjust for play. They used Bosa, Garrett, Lawrence, and Leonard Williams as the comparables. They came up with a 5 year contract with an average value of $27.758M per year. In case anyone is bored take a look.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/tj-watt-21771/market-value/

[Northern_Blitz]

Agree we need TJ.

My ultimate question is at what price does he help the team and at what price does he hurt the team?

I think that's the right question.

And part of it probably depends on what else is happening on the team.

I think we might be forced to let him walk if we had an above average QB on a 2nd or 3rd contract.

But to me, the whole benefit of rebuilding with a young QB on a cheap contract is that it lets you afford elite players that would be difficult to hold on to if you were paying market rate for a QB.

After we sing TJ, who's the next really big contract we'll have (like say > $20M in today's dollars)?

Minkah is an elite player, but he plays a position that isn't valued highly (current tag is $10.6M, projected next year is $13.5M).

We do have some good WRs and they get big contracts.

Maybe Juju if we resign him. And if he did, would his contract be worth more than the projected tag for WRs ($19.1M)?

Would Johnson get a 2nd contract? I don't think he's tag worthy but maybe that changes if he fixes the drops this year.

I'd argue that both of those guys would be easier to replace with cheaper options than TJ. I think generally WR seems to be becoming a position where there are more and more guys who can come out and contribute (although maybe my perception is skewed because Ben makes WRs better and we seem to have been good at drafting guys).

I don't think Cam will get another contract unless it's cheap. Tuitt's contract could be big...although this year isn't off to a great start.

Given our current situation, who else do we need to spend money on? I don't think we'll be in a rush to pay UFAs from outside. It's better to pay UFAs from inside that we know work in our system.

[feltdizz]

what you would rather pay means about as much as the turd i flushed down the toilet after a bowl of cereal this morning

the market says edge defenders make 25-30 million per. thinking watt should play for what we want or kick rocks reeks of a resentment or bias of some sort. I wonder what it could be?

lmao.. its a message board. Nothing we say matters to management.

nice description of poo tho.. that was creative.

[Northern_Blitz]

FWIW Sportrac often does an analysis of player contract value. They take comparables, adjust for time, age at signing etc. and then adjust for play. They used Bosa, Garrett, Lawrence, and Leonard Williams as the comparables. They came up with a 5 year contract with an average value of $27.758M per year. In case anyone is bored take a look.

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/pittsburgh-steelers/tj-watt-21771/market-value/

Did they factor in that we may have to pay more total money because we offer less guarantees?

I think that's the only real argument for changing how we structure things. If it means we have to pay a premium on players, it means that we suffer in a cap league....part of that suffering is probably going to the wire on big contracts most times because players want to wait as long as possible before accepting.

I've heard (on the terrible podcast I think) that the team puts less money in escrow if they have less guarantees. Since we're not an uber rich team, maybe that's why we do this?

[NorthCoast]

This is a point a lot of fans are glossing over. I am fairly certain this is an NFL rule.

Do the Rooneys really have this kind of cash just laying around? I think not. Small market teams can't bank on future revenue possibilities.

Steelers FO: stay the course and don't cave to 'modern contract standards'....

all fully guaranteed dollars require cash being put in an escrow account UP FRONT. So if they were to give Watt 80 mil fully guaranteed, they would have to essentially pay that upfront.

[Northern_Blitz]

This is a point a lot of fans are glossing over. I am fairly certain this is an NFL rule.

Do the Rooneys really have this kind of cash just laying around? I think not. Small market teams can't bank on future revenue possibilities.

Steelers FO: stay the course and don't cave to 'modern contract standards'....

I think this would make sense if it's true.

If they don't have the money, it would be a legit limitation and not something they could bargain around (unless Art was going to pay it out of his pocket, which seems like a less than ideal ay to run a business).

I guess the counter argument is: "They did it for Ben, so it's not something they absolutely can't do".