Mike Tomlin Breaks Silence as T.J. Watt Training Camp Mystery Deepens Will He Show Up or Sit Out

Edge rusher T.J. Watt’s lack of attendance at Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp was a major storyline on the first day of the workouts. That remained the case Thursday, which again led to Mike Tomlin answering questions about Watt’s future with the team.

Tomlin stopped short of saying Watt will definitely be back with the Steelers for training camp. But once again, Tomlin expressed optimism that, eventually, Watt will return.

“I’m not going to get into speculation there,” Tomlin said when asked about Watt attending training camp, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “I’m optimistic we’re going to get things done because we got two sides that want to get things done.

“When that’s going to occur, I do not know.”

The answer was similar to what Tomlin said to reporters on the first day of minicamp Tuesday.

“Certainly we’d like him to be here, but certainly not surprised by where we are,” Tomlin said on June 10. “We’ve expressed a desire to get the business done. He has as well.

“So, we’ll continue to work. We’ve been here before.”

The Steelers wrapped up minicamp Thursday. Players will now have “summer break” until reporting for training camp on Wednesday, July 23.

The team’s first training camp practice at Saint Vincent College will be July 24.

T.J. Watt Wasn’t at Steelers Minicamp

Watt didn’t attend the team’s minicamp as he is set to enter a contract season in 2025. The last time the edge rusher came into a contract season during 2021, he reported for all team activities but didn’t participate.

That is known around the NFL as the “hold-in.” This week, Watt tried the old school “hold out” strategy to try and push along contract negotiations.

Watt’s contract pays him an average annual salary of $28 million. That made him the highest-paid NFL defender on a per season basis entering the 2021 season.

But over the last four years, Watt’s salary has dropped to ninth with all the new deals around the league. Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett is the highest-paid NFL defender at $40 million on average per season.

It’s unclear if Watt desires to set another NFL contract record for a defensive player. Garrett makes $4.4 million more than any other defender, so the Steelers could pay Watt in the $36-39 million per season range, and he could be the second-highest paid defensive player.

Watt and Garrett, though, have developed a quiet rivalry over recent years. It wouldn’t be surprising if Watt wants to do better than Garrett’s new deal.

Uncertainty About Whether Mike Tomlin, Steelers Will Fine Watt

There will likely be plenty of updates about Watt’s contract over the next six weeks. The first update fans should have their eyes on is whether the edge rusher receives a fine from the team.

NFL players are subject to fines for not showing up to mandatory minicamp. But NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday the Steelers aren’t guaranteed to fine Watt.

“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,” said Garafolo, via Steelers Depot’s Jeremy Pike.

“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.”

Garafolo suggested the two sides will have more urgency to get a contract done closer to training camp so Watt is ready to report.

Other media updates, though, haven’t been as positive. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported Tuesday “all signs point to” negotiations with Watt not going “as smooth” as the Steelers hoped.