When the Pittsburgh Steelers report to training camp at Saint Vincent College on July 23, there may be a notable absence. With the team in contract negotiations with OLB T.J. Watt that don’t sound to be going all that well, Watt could choose to hold out during camp. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor believes that’s a real possibility, and if Watt does show up without a contract, he’ll hold-in.
“I think if he does attend things, if he does attend things in Latrobe, I wouldn’t expect to see him out there during team periods. I would think it would be more of a hold-in. I don’t think he would practice without a contract, but I think it also kind of depends on how negotiations are going. If they’re still as contentious as they appeared to be at minicamp, it wouldn’t shock me if he’s not there on Day One,” Pryor said on 93.7 The Fan on Monday.
The Steelers haven’t had a true training camp holdout since RB Le’Veon Bell in 2018. But Watt held-in during his last contract negotiations in 2021, and Diontae Johnson followed his lead in 2022 before signing his new contract. If Watt does show up without a new contract, it’s expected he’d hold-in and protect his body. The last time that happened, he tied the single-season sack record, so the Steelers probably wouldn’t be too concerned with that outcome.
But a holdout would really put the pressure on the Steelers to give him a new contract and get him to show up and work with his teammates. After skipping mandatory minicamp, holding out of training camp would elevate the situation to another level. The Steelers have done a good job in recent years of handling contract negotiations and extending the players they want, and they should eventually come to terms with Watt.
The Steelers want to re-sign Watt, and he seemingly wants to play for the team. The contract should get done eventually, but Watt doesn’t seem happy with how negotiations are going. A holdout would only further fan the trade speculation surrounding Watt, but things would have to reach an extremely tenuous point for that to even be considered as a possibility. Holding out could spark some tension between the player and organization though, and maybe it could be the start of things getting to the point of no return.
All things considered, that seems to be an unlikely outcome. The Steelers should at least be prepared for the possibility of a holdout if the two sides can’t come to terms, but even if Watt does hold out, I’d fully expect him to be a Steeler in 2025. Still, it’s a major storyline to watch ahead of training camp and it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.
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