"Not an apple for apple trade": John Middlekauff casts doubt on Eagles landing T.J. Watt in potential trade 

The thought of the Pittsburgh Steelers trading away their most valuable defensive asset would be shocking and complicated if they were to make a deal with their state rivals, according to one analyst.

On Saturday’s episode of “3 and Out,” host John Middlekauff was asked about what the Steelers might get in return should they trade T.J. Watt to the Philadelphia Eagles.

"If you’re going to trade your best pass rusher, you’re going to want one of their defensive linemen," Middlekauff said (Timestamp: 3:48). "They’re not giving you Jalen Carter, will they give you Jordan Davis? I mean that’s not an apple for apple trade."

Watt has been selected for every Pro Bowl since 2018 and was named a First-team All-Pro four times while leading the league in forced fumbles a year ago (six).

Given we’re weeks away from the start of the preseason, Middlekauff believes the Steelers are unlikely to get as much value for Watt now as they would have before the NFL draft.

"When you do it (trade) before the draft, there’s a lot of value there,” Middlekauff added at 4:22.

"If I was a betting man right now I would say it’d be about 90 plus percent that T.J. Watt is not traded," he said at 6:32.

Watt signed a four-year contract with the Steelers in 2021 worth $112 million, $80 million of which was guaranteed, making him the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL at that time.

He’s led the NFL in sacks three times.

T.J. Watt appears to be a priority for the Steelers

While T.J. Watt has yet to be offered a new contract by the Steelers, it doesn’t appear as though the club is entertaining any ideas of trading him.

Longtime team reporter Mark Kaboly said via Newsweek on Saturday:

“Steelers are still in a holding pattern with T.J. Watt's contract extension.”

“Length of deal, guarantees and total value — basically everything, to some varying degrees — are the sticking points right now.”

At the same time, Kaboly added:

“Even so, there is no anticipation for Watt to holdout when camp starts on July 23 and there has been no inquires made to other teams about trading him.”

Watt has been the heart and soul of Pittsburgh’s defensive unit for quite some time, putting up a team-high 11.5 sacks last year. Keeping Watt in town seems to be at the top of their mind, even though there hasn’t been much progress made in negotiations, according to reports.

The Steelers begin preseason on August 9 when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars.