Mike Tomlin Downplays Concerns over T.J. Watt's Minicamp Holdout: ‘I'm Optimistic We're Going to Get Things Done'
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is not worried about All-Pro outside linebacker T.J. Watt's three-day absence from mandatory minicamp due to a contract dispute. He's confident that a solution will be reached at some point. When that will be is unknown, however.
'I'm not going to get into speculation there,' Tomlin said. 'You guys know what negotiations is about; I'm optimistic we're going to get things done because we got two sides that want things done. When that's going to occur, I don't know.'
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Tomlin was not surprised that Watt held out from the three mandatory minicamp sessions.
'Certainly, we'd like him to be here, but certainly not surprised about where we are,' Tomlin said. 'We've expressed a desire to get the business done. He has as well, and so, we'll continue to work. We've been here before.'
Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt during a game against the New York Giants on Oct. 30, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Watt has not been around the team since cryptically throwing up the deuces on Instagram a few months ago.
Despite perception that Watt is not happy with the Steelers, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network does not believe there's bad blood between the two sides.
'I don't feel that this one is contentious,' Garafolo said on The Insiders. 'If a player misses mandatory minicamp over the next couple days, you don't have to fine a player. We'll see what the Steelers wind up doing on this one.
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'I know that they feel really good about the talks that they've had and the offers that they've made… Mike Tomlin has the belief that T.J. Watt is gonna be just fine working away from the facility, so they're not stressing about that part of it.
'If there was a pressure point right now, and the start of training camp seems like it's a pressure point, I feel like this thing would get done. And it will get done at some point,' Garafolo concluded.
Adam Schefter of ESPN also said on The Pat McAfee Show that the Steelers are not worried about Watt's absence from mandatory minicamp.
'I think the Steelers feel comfortable that they'll be able to work out something with T.J. Watt. … He's making a statement by staying away from mandatory minicamp,' Schefter said.
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The former NFL Defensive Player of the Year's current deal is set to expire at the end of the 2025 season and is likely looking for one that meets or beats the $40 million per year that the Cleveland Browns gave Myles Garrett earlier this offseason.
Watt is deserving of a new deal as the Steelers' best player and heartbeat of the team. The 30-year-old is coming off the least-productive full season of his NFL career but still proved to have plenty of good football left in him while recording 11.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles.
Tomlin doesn't seem to think Watt's time in Pittsburgh is even close to coming to an end.
'No,' Tomlin stated when asked if there's concern about Watt's future with the team.
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Watt's current deal is a four-year, $112 million contract. He is set to earn $21.05 million in salary in 2025, none of which is guaranteed.
Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin Downplays Concerns over T.J. Watt's Minicamp Holdout: 'I'm Optimistic We're Going to Get Things Done'
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