Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Browns altered Myles Garrett's contract to delay bonus payments until just before the regular season starts for the next three years.
- This change makes Garrett more trade-friendly and hints at potential roster shifts for the AFC North rivals.
- Pittsburgh may need to restructure TJ Watt's massive contract to avoid financial strain and keep competitiveness alive.
Myles Garrett's slight contract restructure with the Cleveland Browns could trigger an exit strategy for Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher TJ Watt.
In March, Pittsburgh's AFC North rival agreed to a change in contract language with the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year in which his some of his bonus payments wouldn't be due until the week before the start of the regular season for the next three years (including 2026). The delay means Cleveland is off the hook for cash payments if he's not on the roster in the spring or summer.
That also means Garrett becomes more moveable via trade. It feels like Pittsburgh may be entering a scenario where competitiveness is going to slip and a star like Watt with a massive contract will want to move on to a contender.
Steelers could give TJ Watt an honorable exit strategy by mimicking Browns-Garrett contract tweak
Watt, the highest-paid defensive player in the league, is under contract with the Steelers through the 2028 campaign but the team has a potential out after the 2027 season. The only catch is they'd be on the hook for a $10 million dead cap hit.
In order to avoid an ugly scenario where the Steelers are basement dwellers the next two years and Watt - who would be then entering his age 33 season - wants to play for a contender, general manager Omar Khan should find a way to move his $20 million in bonuses into August. That would ease Pittsburgh's ledgers and make a trade for Watt more feasible.
Teams would certainly be interested in acquiring Watt period. But his $42 million cap hit each of the next two seasons would reasonably give any GM pause. Shaving off a quarter of that increases the chance of a deal getting done and potentially increases the return for Pittsburgh.
Completing a restructure doesn't signal Watt is going to be moved, however. The Browns are adamant Garrett isn't going anywhere and technically they aren't lying since the goal is to win with him. However, the financial maneuver is certainly an insurance policy in the (very likely) event they lose a lot more and he gets tired of it.
Watt, arguably, may have a little more loyalty to the Steel City than Garrett does to the shores of Lake Erie (and we wouldn't blame him either). He may never ask for a trade and want to retire a Steeler but Khan feels like the kind of GM who would have enough respect for a star of Watt's caliber and recognize when there's little to no chance he can chase a ring in Pittsburgh.
Restructuring would be a prudent move anyways. The Steelers are going to need financial flexibility as they retool and hope to avoid a full blown rebuild. I'd be shocked if Watt flat out refused to risk some of his cash for the betterment of the team.