Former Pittsburgh Steelers legends have laid the blueprint for superstar edge rusher T.J. Watt's next potential move, and oddsmakers have seemingly taken notice.
The New England Patriots sit atop Watt's next team odds and a cryptic Instagram post from the perennial All-Pro amid contract negotiations has Steeler Nation preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
It's almost like BetOnline Sportsbook recognizes a historical trend of iconic players who have donned the Black and Gold: They end up in Foxborough.
TJ Watt wouldn't be the first Steelers great to leave for the Patriots, and bookmakers are aware of the trend
Antonio Brown and James Harrison walked to New England so Watt could run there. Of course, their paths to joining Pittsburgh's AFC rival differed from the ongoing dynamic. But in a vacuum, they had dramatic, controversial exits to the Patriots following wildly successful stints with the Steelers, which might be repeating itself.
A spat with two-time Super Bowl-winning Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger before a must-win regular-season finale in the 2018 campaign effectively ended Brown's time in Pittsburgh. Head coach Mike Tomlin benched the seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver, resulting in a trade request that offseason.
Technically, Brown was a member of the Las Vegas Raiders for six well-chronicled months ahead of his time with the Patriots. He never played a game in the Silver and Black uniform, but make no mistake -- it was a memorable tenure, to put it mildly. The drama surrounding him was nonstop, so the franchise wasted no time moving on.
A handful of hours after celebrating the Raiders granting his request for release, Brown signed with the Patriots. He appeared in one game for New England in 2019, but they cut him less than a week later amid allegations of sexual assault.
Harrison was waived by Pittsburgh in 2017. Mind you, he was 39 and on the back nine of his career. However, the 2008 Defensive Player of the Year was unhappy with how the Steelers deployed him in a limited role; ostensibly begging to be released.
Eventually, the Steelers appeased Harrison, the team's all-time leader in sacks at the time (a feat that now belongs to Watt). He landed with the Patriots late in the 2017 season, playing in one regular season contest before contributing to New England's AFC Championship run.
If Watt ultimately finds his way to New England, fans hope he'll represent the organization for (much) longer than Harrison and Brown. Regardless, the Steelers-to-Patriots pipeline is a noteworthy observation that sportsbooks are cognizant of.