Patriots Trade Rumors for Steelers Star Are Ludicrous

The New England Patriots have been floated as a potential trade destination for this Pittsburgh Steelers superstar, and it's ridiculous.

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt (90) celebrates a sack of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jake Browning (6) in the fourth quarter of a Week 12 NFL football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, at Paycor Stadium. | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

More and more speculation is building that the Pittsburgh Steelers could potentially trade edge rusher T.J. Watt, and the New England Patriots have been floated as a possible landing spot.

There are multiple problems with that conjecture.

First of all, the Steelers probably aren't trading Watt. Yes, he is entering the final year of his deal and is at odds with Pittsburgh in terms of an extension, but the Steelers are trying to contend. They aren't going to move Watt.

Second, if Pittsburgh does move Watt, you can bet that the Steelers would do everything in their power to move him out of the AFC. They are surely going to attempt to avoid trading him to the Patriots, a long-time rival.

Yes: sometimes, desperate times call for desperate measures, but that's the thing: Pittsburgh isn't desperate. The Steelers just won 10 games this past season, and even with their uncertainty at quarterback, they are not going to throw in the towel on 2025.

Chances are, Pittsburgh will reach an agreement with Watt at some point before next season. It seems very, very difficult to believe that the Steelers will be unable to find common ground with the former Defensive Player of the Year, and again, the Patriots don't seem like a realistic destination for Watt regardless.

On top of that, would New England really want to surrender a ton of draft capital for a 30-year-old who is probably on the verge of a decline? Heck, in 2024, Watt tallied 11.5 sacks, which was—by far—his lowest total in a healthy season since his rookie campaign back in 2017.

The Pats would likely have to part with a first-round draft pick and more just to have a shot at Watt, and then they would have to extend him.

So yeah: this isn't happening, regardless of how enticing it may sound.

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