The Green Bay Packers might have the chance to add some dominant star power to coordinator Jeff Hafley’s defense before the NFL Draft.
As T.J. Watt’s ongoing contract saga with the Pittsburgh Steelers wears on, the former Wisconsin standout and former Defensive Player of The Year posted a bit of a cryptic social media message, a photo of himself holding up two fingers, as if to say “peace.”
If Watt is telegraphing that he wants out of Pittsburgh, the Packers are uniquely positioned to offer the Steelers a bounty to pry him away and back to the Badger State.
Why the Green Bay Packers Make Sense for T.J. Watt
Not only does Green Bay own the No. 23 overall pick in this year’s draft, but thanks to a balanced roster loaded with homegrown talent, there are few needs across the depth chart that general manager Brian Gutekunst would need to prioritize filling this year or next that would outweigh the benefits of trading multiple first and second-round picks for Watt.
Watt has made garnered First-Team All-Pro recognition four times in his career and is coming off a 11.5 sack campaign, while posting 58.5 sacks across his past four seasons.
Likewise, the Packers have upwards of $31.6 million in cap space this season, but boast $25.7 million in spending flexibility next season, and $106.9 million in cap space in 2027, which would be plenty of room to fit a massive Watt extension under the cap.
There is a long way to go, but if Watt is at a breaking point where he doesn’t want to continue his career in Pittsburgh, and forces the issue by requesting a trade, the Packers have the roster in place to compete, the draft capital to make a compelling offer, and the cap space to make Watt whole as a potentially perfect match for a blockbuster trade.
