Before you get ‘Tampa T.J.’ shirts made, let’s think about this.
A small bite-sized rumor has been flurrying about, that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be attempting to work out a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers for star pass-rusher T.J. Watt. While, on paper the move to add Watt would be explosively exciting, it remains remarkably unlikely.
Tampa Bay’s largest need following their 2024 campaign, through the diagnosis of most, was pass rush (specifically edge-rusher). The Tampa Bay faithful have seen, over the past decade or so, the stark contrast of what Todd Bowles’ defense looks like with an elite edge-rusher (Shaq Barrett in his prime) and without an elite edge-rusher.
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Watt even checks more boxes than a traditional hand-in-the-dirt defender because he has the flexibility and versatility to do much more. His versatility may not excite the average fan wanting to see Watt terrorize opposing quarterbacks, however, it would (in theory) excite Todd Bowles quite a bit. Bowles has been criticized frequently for his ‘creativity’ in defensive scheming, leading to players who are designated pass-rushers dropping into coverage in order to create confusion for an offense. Watt can not only get after the quarterback (108 career sacks), but he also has seven career interceptions as well, just one less than Jamel Dean.
So a T.J. Watt-type made sense then, but does he make sense now?
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Tampa Bay has addressed their edge-rusher group since the end of season, through the draft and free agency. Still, Watt would help any defense in the National Football League. He is an A+ defender at a premium position and likely on his way to a Hall of Fame speech and a gold jacket. For the Buccaneers, it would all come down to price— And that price is twofold. Not only would Jason Licht and co. have to buy the product but they would have to pay hefty fees and taxes on the purchase as well.
In the most commonly proposed trade scenario the Buccaneers would be sending the Steelers a first-round pick, a third-round pick, and a player (Chris Braswell). Now, that may seem like a small price to pay for a two-time defensive player of the year, however, that alone isn’t what Tampa must consider. Watt will also be expecting a fresh new contract upon arrival— The reason he is holding out and ‘available’ in the first place. The money would certainly be a reward that he has earned, still, for Tampa Bay that would be the most expensive possible way to go about adding new talent.
While it is fun to think about, Jason Licht has shown that he places a high value on draft capital and young pieces. Giving up both assets (players and draft picks) and then cap space, while Tampa has their own contracts to work on, makes any move for Watt highly unlikely.
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