It might be time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to blow the whole team up. They spent the entire offseason investing in aging players to build what was supposed to be a championship run. Instead, the Steelers got embarrassed in the wildcard round finale on Monday night to the tune of 30-6, ending Aaron Rodgers’ career (most likely) and further dampening Mike Tomlin’s tenure in Pittsburgh.
With yet another playoff loss, it highlights a complicated era with Tomlin, one that was extremely successful in the beginning and tapered off. Tomlin is now in bad company with Marvin Lewis with the most consecutive playoff losses (seven). He made the decision for the Steelers, stepping down after 19 years, and that could tee up a dramatic rebuild on the field as well.
Why would the Steelers consider trading TJ Watt?
Watt took a noticeable step back this season, whether Steelers fans want to admit it or not. Much of that can be blamed on injuries, attrition and age, but the latter point is why signed him to a three-year contract extension before the regular season was a risk to begin with. On the surface, Watt's contract looks borderline untradeable, but the nitty gritty details of his deal actually aren't as bad as they may seem.
Trade date | Dead money | Cap savings |
|---|---|---|
Pre-June 1 | $30 million | $12 million |
Post-June 1 | $10 million | $32 million |
There is always a need for premiere pass rushers in the NFL. Watt is no exception, and his tough 2025-26 season gives contenders in need of that very defensive trait a chance to buy low. No, Watt will not command multiple first-round picks like Micah Parsons, but there's no denying he's valuable.
Here’s who should call the Pittsburgh Steelers with a solid offer for the star EDGE rusher as things are looking glum.
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders have to get active this offseason. The 2025 season went off the rails and between injuries and the overall disappointment, the Commanders got a reality check. Their defense isn’t what they need it to be and if they want to field one of the oldest teams in the NFL, they might as well keep that trend up with adding an aging but proven EDGE rusher. They’ve struggled at stopping the run as well as pass rush so going after Watt would be worth it.
Washington needs massive defensive help and if the Steelers make him available, they should absolutely put together a package to land Watt. He isn’t the missing piece by any means, but he’s certainly a great place to start if the Commanders want to be contenders in 2026.
Dallas Cowboys
![\#3\](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_0,w_1024,h_576/c_fill,w_16,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/229/01kewn8eqmgnrjetmmhc.jpg "\#3\")
Jerry Jones gets what Jerry Jones wants and he should want to add an elite EDGE rusher like Watt. He traded away Micah Parsons, freeing up some cap space to add some serious help on the defense. I know Jones is more likely to draft a young EDGE rusher rather than trading for an aging one. But Watt should be on Jones’ shortlist of players that will save this defense.
This defense had a lot of struggles last year and it was particularly bad in the pass rush. If they get a chance to land Watt, they have to do everything they can, or another experienced EDGE rusher. The Cowboys can’t continue to waste away Dak Prescott’s prime. That’s why going after Watt has to be a top priority if Pittsburgh makes him available. ‘
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears were able to get away with a solid season and now playoff run while having one of the worst pass rushes in the NFL. Jordan Love essentially had a clean pocket all game in the wildcard game, which has been the case for many of the Bears’ games. They have enough cap space to work with and a young enough core that adding someone like Watt would immediately make their defense much better than it is.
Caleb Williams has been cooking defense this year, leading the Bears to comeback win after comeback win. But if Chicago doesn’t invest in their defense next season, those close wins could turn to close losses. They could go after someone like Trey Hendrickson as well. Either way, EDGE rusher should be top priority and Watt could solve their pass rush problem almost immediately.