Steelers May Be Scared Of Having Their Own Regrettable Tyreek Hill-Jalen Ramsey Scenario

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to have a major contract dispute to work through after the 2025 NFL Draft. Star edge rusher TJ Watt has one year left on his contract, and he recently posted a picture of him giving a "peace out" symbol on his Instagram story. The team already has a lot to deal with, and that is just one more major issue that they will have to focus on in an already busy offseason. However, this seemingly new issue could be a lose-lose situation for the team. 

While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Mike Florio was asked about the whole situation surrounding Watt. He talked about it from the Steelers' point of view.

"You have to think about if you don't trade a guy, what you're giving up, and if there's somebody out there that's willing to give you significant draft pick compensation, you're giving that up by keeping [TJ Watt] and you're going to have to give him $40 million per year in new money, and he's getting closer and closer to the expiration date," said Florio. 

Watt's new contract will not be cheap. Not only is he reportedly trying to imitate Myles Garrett's tactics with negotiations, but he might want even more money than what Garrett received. That's a lot of money to give up for a guy on the wrong side of 30, especially when you could maybe fetch a first-round pick plus more in a trade to let someone else make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. 

In fact, the Steelers could be avoiding the same regret that the Miami Dolphins are currently going through, according to Florio.

"You don't want to regret the contract you gave him a year later. Look at what the [Miami] Dolphins are dealing with both Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey," said Florio. "I think they regret giving both of those guys the contracts they got last year, and it makes it harder for them to move on now. The cap consequences are too significant; there's too much guaranteed money to get someone to trade for either one of them, and so you don't want to be in that situation where a year from now, you're saying, 'Why in the h*ll did we sign that guy to the contract?'"

Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey were both given massive extensions during the 2024 offseason to stay in Miami for the long-term future. However, Hill keeps going back and forth on whether he wants to be traded or not, while General Manager Chris Grier recently announced that Ramsey is officially on the trade block. 

Hill has $27.65 million in guaranteed salary for the 2025 season. That is along with roster bonuses and a signing bonus option that goes into the final year of his contract in 2026 (and into his three void years), while Ramsey has a little more than $24 million in guaranteed salary and similar bonuses -- however, his contract is much longer. That is a lot of money to swallow for anyone that wants to trade for them. 

Similarities Between Steelers And Dolphins

Like Pittsburgh, the Dolphins have not won a playoff game with their core pieces, including Hill. Ramsey has not been a Dolphin for long, but his arrival has not helped much. Miami got baited into giving both of them mega-deals, and who knows if they will play in South Beach again. Considering their continued playoff futility, those deals were certainly not worth it.

Hill and Ramsey were both 30 when they signed those deals. Watt is 30 and will turn 31 during the 2025 season. Do the Steelers really want to give him a more expensive version of Garrett's contract only to see him not perform like the generational talent he was and lose all leverage in trade negotiations? The answer is probably not, and that's why they need to explore all their options carefully.

What do you think about Watt being compared to Hill and Ramsey? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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