Steelers' TJ Watt Cannot Be Bothered With Obnoxious Comments From NFL LT Taylor Lewan

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem likely to be in the hunt for a strong offensive tackle. They need to ensure they protect their young quarterback, Kenny Pickett. One name that has come up quite a bit in free agency is Taylor Lewan. 

Lewan is entering his 10th season in the league and is currently under contract with the Tennessee Titans. But his five-year, $80 million contract is a huge cap hit for the Titans and rumors abound that they might be looking to offload him. 

Despite the fact that Lewan has suffered some major knee injuries, causing him to miss 19 games in the past three seasons, Steelers fans went rabid over the possibility of signing him. 

Lewan stoked the fires a bit commenting on tweets and appearing on podcasts saying he might be interested if the money was right. 

On the Steel Here podcast, Lewan had this to say about playing in Pittsburgh:

"Mike Tomlin was the head coach of the Pro Bowl in 2017 and he is a fantastic individual. I think he's so cool, so calm. I hear the guys talk about him, how great he is in the locker room and how he handles the locker room. Being a leader is a very difficult thing to do and when I was around him for that short week, in a calm and relaxing setting, I thought to myself, 'This is a cool coach to play for.'"

Steelers Fans Know Watt > Lewan

Then Lewan proudly announced that he is kind of a poor sport. Recently, on his Bussin' With The Boys podcast, he trashed Watt in a bizarre, uncensored diatribe:

“TJ’s rookie year, I spit in his face during the game,” Lewan said. “Him and Bud Dupree tried to fight me after the game. We got rolled on Thursday Night Football. He was rushing really hard in the fourth quarter and he was talking, there was nothing I could really say back, so I spit in his face and it hits right here (points to the eye).”

Who needs this guy? Maybe Lewan is jealous that his best days are behind him. Maybe his injuries have left him feeling insecure so much that he wants to rehash middle school behavior from five years ago. Whatever the reason, a lot of Steelers fans aren't having it. 

During the same podcast, Lewan suggests, in a snarky voice, that he is trying to make up with Watt and that Watt is the one who won't accept. The whole thing comes off as contrived and a little insulting. Why would Watt bother acknowledging such an insincere-sounding comment? 

"We send an olive branch out to TJ Watt, we would love to have you on our podcast. This [expletive] just told us no. He just denied us for the third time in a row. They want us to be teammates. This feels like that’s bad teammate vibes, right? Yeah, I spit in his face and hit him in the nuts one time. Can we turn a page?”

Watt recently appeared on the CBS Sports Radio podcast, The Maggie and Perloff Show, and dismissed it all.

He was asked by host Maggie Grey if he could work with someone he has bad blood with. She noted how Lewan seems to be obsessed with Watt, saying, "He cannot stop talking about you." Watt shrugged it off:

"I don't know, I mean all those front office decisions aren't mine. That makes it easy for me."

When Grey prodded a bit more suggesting that Watt might be watching this decision more closely than he does other ones, Watt had this to say:

"No, I kind of mind my own business this time of year." 

And Watt should continue to do just that. Whatever he is doing is clearly working. Watt has been in the NFL for six seasons and during that time has won the AP Defensive Player of the Year and been selected to five Pro Bowls. Lewan has been in the NFL for nine seasons and has three Pro Bowls. There are your apples and oranges.  

Lewan may or may not have been serious about coming to Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh may or may not seriously be considering him. But by going after Watt, he has certainly burned bridges with most of the fan base. 

What do you think about Lewan's comments? Do you support him coming to Pittsburgh? Did you prior to him running his mouth? Click to comment below. 

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