The Pittsburgh Steelers begin training camp next Thursday with players due to report the day before for their annual conditioning test at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. All eyes will be on whether or not perennial All-Pro OLB T.J. Watt is in attendance as they continue to negotiate his contract. While reports have indicated that the two sides remain far apart on a deal, ESPN\u2019s Jeremy Fowler says the Steelers remain hopeful.<\/p>\n
\u201cPittsburgh remains optimistic, I\u2019m told they want to get a deal done,\u201d Fowler said this morning via ESPN\u2019s Get Up<\/a>. \u201cI know there\u2019s been the trade chatter out there. Teams I\u2019ve talked to don\u2019t really expect him to be moved, but this is an issue of guaranteed money as a sticking point. The structure of the deal, all those details. \u2018Cause most people I talk to around the league do expect him to be the highest-paid pass rusher when he does get paid. That doesn\u2019t seem to be an issue. It\u2019s about the other details that they haven\u2019t been able to lock in on between the team and the player.\u201d<\/p>\n The Steelers\u2019 aggressive offseason of change suggests they are trying to overcome their playoff woes and win now. Failing to extend Watt\u2014and whatever the 2025 ramifications of that decision may be\u2014would make the rest of their offseason strategy much less coherent. And the team\u2019s salary cap and cash situation strongly suggest that they need to pay Watt to stay compliant with the collective bargaining agreement<\/a> this year and next.<\/p>\n