The Pittsburgh Steelers stumbled through the end of a once-promising season, so it’s no surprise that members of the media are proposing drastic changes. When the team consistently fails in the playoffs with no apparent path to turn things around, perhaps nobody should be safe. Some have even wondered if T.J. Watt could be on the trade block.

Art Rooney II spoke with KDKA’s Bob Pompeani today and was asked about trading Watt. He didn’t completely shut down the idea, but he came pretty close.

“I have to put it in the unlikely category in terms of trading T.J.,” Rooney said. “He’s certainly been one of the real solid pieces that we have on that defense, and just a dedicated player — loves being a Steeler. And so I think he’s the kind of guy we want to have in the locker room going forward.”

Teams rarely improve by parting ways with their best players, and there is little argument that Watt has been the team’s best player for the last several seasons. He didn’t finish the 2024 season strong, but that was a team-wide problem.

The main argument in favor of trading Watt is that the Steelers aren’t on an immediate path to competing for a Super Bowl. They need a quarterback above all else, and they might not be able to do that without stockpiling draft picks to make a move up in either the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft or the following year, 2026. Watt could be a piece that allows them to get premium picks back in return.

At 30 years old, will he still be around by the time the Steelers complete this roster transition?

That said, the Steelers aren’t the type of team to sell themselves short. They legitimately try to put together the best possible roster every season and don’t operate in a way that would allow them to pawn the present to save the future. Mike Tomlin has said very clearly in the past that his current team works too hard for him to think about anything other than them. He considers it his duty to maximize the current group at all costs.

The other side of this coin is the possibility that Watt may want to leave the Steelers for a chance to accomplish something in the playoffs. His older brother played for more than one team, and Watt is clearly frustrated by the lack of playoff success. Even if he doesn’t say it, there would be a stain on his legacy if he was unable to secure even a single playoff win in his otherwise Hall-of-Fame career.

Watt already shut down the possibility of wanting to move on after the 2025 season when his contract is up, saying he wants to be a “part of the solution.”

Rooney said in another media appearance today that keeping Watt in Pittsburgh is a priority, so expect them to reach an extension of sorts later this offseason to keep Watt in Pittsburgh for at least another few seasons.