J.J. Watt Not Interested in Steelers Per Report
Whether it was before or after his release from the Houston Texans, much of the speculation surrounding J.J. Watt has been that he'd want to play with his brothers T.J. and Derek with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but according to Tony Grossi of ESPN 850, that's not the case.
Beyond the reporting here, the notion that Watt would want to play in Pittsburgh doesn't make sense on its face.
Watt's stated goal is competing for a championship. That was one of his biggest frustrations with this past season playing for the Texans. He felt he was wasting one of his remaining years in the NFL on a losing team.
The Steelers may have the other two Watts, but they may not have much else this coming season. They are currently heavily over the projected salary cap with a significant number of free agents. Players like left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, running back James Conner, and edge rusher Bud Dupree are almost certainly leaving to play for other teams. Center Maurkice Pouncey just retired.
Ben Roethlisberger's salary is slated to be $41.25 million in 2021. That deal is going to be restructured, but Watt may make his decision where he wants to play before there's any resolution there.
The Steelers are in a rebuild. They are effectively retooling the entire offense as well as addressing their salary cap situation.
The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens are more attractive opportunities in the AFC for Watt if the goal is to win the Super Bowl. They aren't the only teams that could be attractive for Watt as he starts looking into the situation reportedly in the next few weeks, but they have a far better case to make than the Steelers.
