Steelers News: T.J. Watt Update, Ja’Marr Chase Praises Steelers CB Room + The Browns Are IN TROUBLE

Steelers News: T.J. Watt Update, Ja’Marr Chase Praises Steelers CB Room + The Browns Are IN TROUBLE

[Music] Welcome into Steelers Talk. I’m your host, Jack Sperry. Today we have a lot of Steelers news and rumors to cover. First up, the latest on the TJ Watt negotiations. What’s the latest on that front and what is it going to take for the Steelers to get a deal done with their superstar edge rusher? Then Jamar Chase, Bengals superstar wide receiver, had some high praise for the Steelers new quarterback room. Then we’ll get into Calvin Austin the third and why I think he could have a breakout season like Darnell Mooney had with the Falcons last year. And then we’ll talk about the latest surrounding the Cleveland Browns, uh, who are definitely Browning at this point in time in the offseason. Earlier today, guys, we put out a video on Joan Jennings. If you didn’t hear the news, Adam Sheper reported that he is looking for either an extension or a trade before the start of the season. I break down why I think he’s an excellent fit for the Pittsburgh Steelers and talk about the chances of Omar Khan landing him in a trade. I’ll put the link to that one in the comments and description of today’s show and put the chip in the top right corner. And if you don’t want to miss any of our shows here on Steelers Talk, click that subscribe button right now because a lot of times we put out two videos a day, uh, especially if there’s breaking news. So, make sure you guys click that subscribe button if you haven’t already to join the largest individually run Steelers news program anywhere on YouTube. So, first, let’s talk about, you know, the talk of the town in Pittsburgh. After Aaron Rogers signed, everyone’s focus shifted to TJ Watt. And for good reason. He is a massive piece to this Steelers team and he’s still not signed uh to a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. We got uh some little updates here over the weekend. We’ll start with Mark Kabulli from the Pat McAfee Show saying Steelers are still in a holding pattern with TJ Watts contract extension. Length of deal guarantees and total value basically everything to some varying degrees are the sticking points right now. Even so, there is no anticipation for Watt to hold out when camp starts on July 23rd, and there has been no inquiries made to other teams about trading him, according to sources. Basically, there are high-profile and big money deals. This is how uh high-profile and big money deals go. Seems like it could go down to the wire as it did in 2021. And then Jeremy Fowler said this on ESPN earlier this week. Pittsburgh remains optimistic. I’m told they want to get a deal done. I know there’s been uh the trade chatter out there. Teams I’ve talked to don’t really expect him to be moved, but this is an issue of guaranteed money as a sticking point. So, both Kaboli and Fowler kind of confirming that guaranteed money is really the sticking point here. Our favorite People’s Insider Ricky also said the same thing a week ago that guaranteed money is what is the sticking point between pit the Pittsburgh Steelers and TJ Watt at this point in time. I think it was Ricky uh said that the Steelers have offered him a deal that according to APY, so that’s annual earnings, he would be the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history, but the guarantees aren’t as much as guys like Miles Garrett and Jamar Chase, the two guys that TJ Watt is trying to top. So, let’s take a look at Garrett and Chase’s contract so you kind of know what the Steelers are competing with here. Garrett got four years, $160 million total. Obviously, that’s $40 million per season. His signing bonus was just over 21 million at 21 a.5. The guaranteed at signing was 59.3 million and then the total guaranteed money is 123.6. So that includes the roster bonuses on Garrett’s deal. Then when it comes to Jamar Chase, obviously he’s not an edge rusher, but he is a non-quarterback. And I think that Watt probably wants to be the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history. He’s going to have to top Chase’s number of $161 million total over four years in order to accomplish that. Now, Chase actually didn’t have a signing bonus, which was a little bit weird, but he had higher guarantees. The guaranteed at signing was $73.9 million, and the total amount of that $161 million that’s guaranteed is $112 million. So, that is obviously a lot. And I kind of think TJ Watt wants to uh top all those numbers for both of these contracts. So I think what he’s probably asking for right now slightly more in terms of the overall money. Probably asking for like 161 a.5 or $162 million total. He’s probably asking for a larger signing bonus than what uh Miles Garrett got at $22 million per season. He’s probably looking for more guaranteed money at signing than what Jamar Chase got, which would be $74 million per season. And then the total guarantees, I think he’s looking uh to be higher than either one of those guys as well at $124 million. And obviously, this is a very steep price tag. You’re guaranteeing most of the contract here, at least 3/4s of his contract if you make this happen. And uh you know, I think that the guarantees are probably the holdup. I think the Steelers uh are looking at TJ Watt as an aging player and they don’t want a guarantee a lot in his third season of that contract extension. And I think TJ Watt wants more of those guarantees to be transferred into that third season. Um, but as we’ve discussed on this show, ad nauseium, it seems like every single time I talk about TJ Watt, I have to talk about how I think that Pittsburgh pretty much needs him if they’re going to accomplish their short-term goals, which is to win a Super Bowl before Cam Hayward retires uh in in two years time. Of course, you’re on a one-year timeline with Aaron Rogers at quarterback. Um, so TJ Watt has the leverage here and he knows that he has the leverage. You take a look at his impact on the team and why he knows the Steelers essentially need him. It’s because when he plays, they win twothirds of their games. Uh, the offense scores more points, the defense gives up a touchdown less per game when he’s on the field. The sacks and turnover production go up dramatically with a player uh, like him on the team. And this team just doesn’t win football games when TJ Watt’s not on the field. And he understands that. So, he’s kind of holding that against the Steelers to try and get the money that he feels like he deserves. And the truth of the matter is, guys, Watt has really kept the Steelers afloat over these last several seasons, okay? Uh like his impact that he has had on the Steelers defense has kind of elevated the offense as well and elevated the team as a whole to keep them competitive. And I think Mike Tomlin, the head coach, gets a lot of credit for this. He kind of gets the credit for keeping the team afloat despite bad offenses and bad quarterback play. But in reality, I think that without TJ Watt, you know, Tomlin does not have that uh streak currently of non- losing seasons. TJ Watt has held up a team, especially over the last three years where the offense has just not been good. You can take a look here at the offensive production for the Steelers the last three seasons. By the way, they were one game away from making the playoffs in 2022 and were 8-2 when TJ Watt played that season. And then they made the playoffs both in 2023 and 2024 despite the offenses looking like this bottom 10 offenses in the National Football League. And the reason why you get records like this despite that offensive production where you’re 9 and 8, 10 and seven, 10 and seven, despite having some of the worst offensive production in the National Football League is because you have a defensive superstar like TJ Watt out there on the field. And you guys can see here the Steelers record is 28 and3 when TJ Watt is on the field and when he is healthy over the last three seasons. That’s a winning percentage of 68.2%. That’s over 2/3 of the Steelers football games played when TJ Watt is on the field and when he is healthy the team wins because TJ is just a huge impact on the football game. Guys, you can take a look at his production since 2022. All right, so this is the same time period that we’re talking about the Steelers offense as being absolute dog crap. All right, he’s had 41 total healthy games. He’s got 36 sacks in that time, 46 TFLs, 11 forced fumbles, 17 PBUs, and three interceptions. Okay, so that is a lot of production, not only from a from a pass rushing perspective, but also from a run defense standpoint and then also from a turnover perspective. And then I really like this graphic that was put out by Pro Football Focus over the weekend. In one score games since 2021, uh TJ Watt is first in the league in sacks, forced fumbles, and batted passes. So the reason why the Steelers are winning all these close games is because TJ Watt is making an impact in these close games, especially late in the football game, giving the Steelers opportunities to come away victorious. And without him, I think that this team would be down in the gutter. Uh plain and simply guys, he has held up this unit uh for a very long time. But I hear you guys saying at home, “But Jack Watt is 0 and4 in the playoffs. We need, you know, the standard here in Pittsburgh is playoff victories, playoff success, and Watt hasn’t done that in his Steelers career.” And listen, man, I hear you. Watt needs to play better when the team makes it to the postseason. Okay? He has not had great production when the team has made it to the postseason. And you know, if he wants to solidify himself as one of the greatest Steelers ever, he really does need to at least get one playoff victory. Let’s start with one, but hopefully he can get multiple and even out that record in the postseason because that’s what Steelers football is all all about. But in reality, guys, if we’re being completely honest, the Pittsburgh Steelers don’t even make the playoffs in a lot of those seasons unless TJ Watt is on the team. And I’m especially talking about these last two years where the offensive production just hasn’t been there. And the really the only reason why the Steelers make the playoffs is because TJ Watt’s impact on the defense is allowing them to win as many football games as they have been able to win despite their offense being as bad as it has been. So I I firmly believe here guys, I know TJ Watt hasn’t delivered in the postseason and he needs to do that to solidify his legacy with this team. But I think if you give him the proper offensive coordinator, I hope Arthur Smith is that guy. If you give him the right quarterback, I hope Aaron Rogers is that guy, I think playoff wins will follow suit. And I think TJ Watt has shown himself to be the kind of player that can deliver big performances in the playoffs if you give him the proper help. I hope I’m right about that. And for a guy that works as hard as TJ does and as impactful as he has been to this team, I hope he gets the proper help around him so he can retire a champion as a Pittsburgh Steeler. So predict it for me down there in the comments section. Will TJ Watt ever win a playoff game as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers? Give me a yes or a no down there in the comments section for today’s pin question. YouTube’s going to throw you an ad break here in just a couple of seconds. And when that happens, take advantage of that time, but give me a yes or a no down there in the comments. Now, we move over to Jamar Chase here, who went on a podcast recently, and he was asked to name the top five corners in the National Football League, and three of the four that he listed uh were Pittsburgh Steelers corners heading into this season. These were the four guys that he listed on that podcast. Now, I think he might have misunderstood the question. He might have said that this was AFC North corners because everybody in this are is is in the AFC North, right? Denzel Ward, Joey Porter Jr., Jay Jaylen Ramsey, and Darius Slay are the four guys he mentioned. And three of these guys are Steelers. This is what Chase had to say. Joey Porter is pretty is pretty smooth. He’s just long. It’s going to be fun going against Ramsay and Darius Slay. I had an opportunity to go against Slay this year and Ramsay my rookie year in the Super Bowl. So, the fact that he’s listing three Steelers corners in his top five list of corners in the National Football League is pretty high praise. Uh, but I think he, like I said, he probably misunderstood the question. He just lists the best corners in the AFC North. That’s certainly a possibility. Don’t think it’s a coincidence that every single corner that he listed is in the AFC North. And he doesn’t mention guys like Pat Certan, Sgardner, Derek Stinley Jr., some of the other best corners in the league. Uh, but I there’s no doubt about it, guys. The Steelers quarterback room this year is pretty darn good, and I think it’s got a chance to be great heading into this year. I really like Joey Porter Jr.’s length and physicality on the outside. He’s one of the best press jam corners in the National Football League. And when he’s healthy, like, he can shut down an opposing number one receiver on a good week. He just needs to work on some of the grabbiness, uh, you know, limiting penalties, that sort of stuff. Then Darius Slay, Super Bowl champion last year. Did a really good job. Was really highly graded with the Eagles defense last year, which was stellar. And then Jaylen Ramsay, I think, has a chance to be one of the better Nickelbacks in the National Football League with the way the Steelers are going to move him around the formation, with the way they’re going to use him as a blitzer, all this different stuff that we have talked about on this channel that they’re going to be planning for Jaylen Ramsey in a very versatile role. Um, you know, and then you put on top of that the quick pass rush that the Steelers are going to have with TJ Watt hopefully, uh, uh, Alex Heismith, Nick Herbick, Cam Hayward, Keano Benson, all these guys getting after opposing quarterbacks. And then you put on top of that some really good coverage players. And this Steelers defense, in my opinion, has what it takes to potentially be one of the best defenses in the entire National Football League this year. So, fill in the blank for me down there in the comments. The Steelers have a top blank cornerback room in the NFL right now. Now, I know it’s a little bit older with guys like Darius Slay and Jaylen Ramsay in there. Uh, but I think it’s got a lot of talent in there. It’s definitely the best quarterback room this team has had in a while. Just a second here, I’m going to tell you about our sponsor today at Fanatics. And while I’m talking about Fanatics, go down there in the comments section and let me know where you would rank the Steelers quarterback room at this point in time. And if you guys want a new Steelers hoodie in your collection here before the start of training camp, you guys can go chatports.com/pit hoodie to get a 50% off Steelers sweatshirt today. Can wear this out in Latroe to training camp if it’s a little bit of a cooler day. Maybe if it’s raining outside like it has been the last couple years I’ve gone to Steelers training camp. Uh but also you can have it be your lucky game day sweatshirt this year as well. Watching Aaron Rogers, DK Metaf, Jaylen Ramsey, and others do their thing, wearing this sweatshirt, I think would be really good for you. And you get it 50% off today when you go to chatsports.com/pit hoodie. I’ll put the link to that in the comments and description of today’s show if you want a new Steelers sweatshirt at 50% off. All right, so now I want to shift over to Calvin Austin III this year and kind of my player comp for him and why I think that he could have a breakout season just like Darnell Mooney, number two wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons did last year. Now skill setwise, Calvin and Darnell are very similar players. Now Darnell’s a little bit bigger. Uh he’s 5’11. Uh Calvin’s 5’8. Uh Darnell is like 177 pounds. And then you got Calvin who’s like 165. So you know, there is a little bit of a difference there. bodywise, but they’re both really good outside receivers as smaller guys. They got better hands than people give them credit for. They’re really good route runners with quick feet. Uh their yak threats and their vertical threats and can really threaten a defense to all the levels of the field. And you take a look at Darnell Mooney’s uh production in 2023, his final season with the Chicago Bears. All right, only 61 targets, had 31 catches, 414 yards, only one touchdown. Uh, and then his grade was a 55.2. So, not fantastic. But then 2024 comes around and it’s a lot better. He had a 100 targets, not 10 targets. Uh, 64 receptions, 992 yards, just short of a,000. And then he had five touchdowns compared to his one in 2023. And his PFF grade went up quite a bit as well in that better offense away from Justin Fields. And then you compare Darnell Mooney’s numbers in 2023 to Calvin Austin’s uh role in the Steelers offense in 2024 and the numbers are kind of comparable, man. Like even though Austin had slightly less targets, uh he actually had more reception, so he was more efficient than Mooney was, he also had more yardage uh than Mooney did in 2023 and he had more touchdowns and a higher PFF grade. Uh not an average there. That is a PFF grade on that final one right there. And I think a key similarity between Calvin Austin III and Darnell Mooney um in those two seasons is that uh the quarterbacks were very uh primary read centric. All right, Justin Fields with the Chicago Bears doesn’t really read the field all that well. Needs to see that first read open and then he’s kind of running. Darnell Mooney was getting to open a lot on that Bears film and he went extremely under the radar heading into his first year with the Falcons where he was great. I think the same thing applies to Calvin Austin III here where if you apply the same statistical leap from a percentage standpoint to Calvin Austin III this year, guys, this is what his numbers would look like. Now, I don’t I’m not expecting these numbers. I just want to throw that out there right now. 20 touchdowns for Calvin Austin the third is completely unrealistic. All right, but these are the same jumps from a percentage standpoint that Mooney made from 2023 to 2024. And then I think that Calvin can make a similar type of leap in 2025 compared to what he was in 2024. Also, you compare the quarterback play. I would take Aaron Rogers this year over Kirk Cousins or Michael Penn last year and Darnell Mooney had almost a thousand yards receiving. And we saw some really good things from Calvin Austin III last year, guys, where I think that the Pittsburgh Steelers have seen a lot from him and they really like his play style. They they saw on film how open he was getting. He’s see they’re seeing the same things that I’m seeing on his film. He’s a better hands catcher than people give him credit for. He’s a really great Yak threat. He’s got the vertical speed uh to challenge a defense vertically as well. I think Pittsburgh believes in Calvin Austin the third as a wide receiver, too. They keep telling us that that is their plan, but it seems like this fan base just doesn’t want to believe in it, and they keep throwing out all these different rumors about different wide receivers they’re going to bring in. But honestly, guys, it wouldn’t shock me at all if Calvin Austin the third is actually their plan at wide receiver, too. And it also wouldn’t shock me if, like Darnell Mooney, he has a big-time breakout season with the Pittsburgh Steelers with Aaron Rogers throwing him the ball this year. So, we got one more topic that we got to talk about on today’s uh news and rumors show. But before we get into that, click that thumbs up icon if you are enjoying today’s show. So, if you love the Pittsburgh Steelers and you love our show, you want to help us out. Takes a half second of your time to click that thumbs up icon and it really does help us out and put our video in front of more Steelers fans like yourselves. Our final topic today has to do with the Cleveland Steamers. Those Brownies just can’t stop Browning, man. as their uh number as the round two pick at running back. Quinc Judkins has been charged with domestic battery over the weekend and it is not looking good for the rookie running back out of Ohio State. Here Tom Pelosero tweeted this earlier uh about the incident. Here is the arrest report for Brown’s running back Quinnshot Judkins, whose accuser told police he punched her with a closed fist in the chin/lip area and later struck her in the left arm and thigh while they were in the car leaving the airport on July 7th. And Judkins’s accuser is also seeking prosecution. So, this thing could get very, very ugly for Judkins uh in the months to come. And this is just a really poorly placed time thing for Judkins and the Cleveland Browns, obviously. But first, I want to say this, guys. Domestic assault is absolutely not something worth joking about or anything like that. It’s not a funny matter, and our thoughts and prayers definitely go out to the accuser and her family. Of course, due process does exist. You know, Judkins should have his day in court and all that different stuff. Uh, but our thoughts and prayers definitely do go out to the accuser. Um, and with that said, the Browns are an absolute joke. All right? It seems like every single year they are bringing in somebody that’s just not behaving themselves on off the field at this point. I mean, just last season that another second round pick out of the same school, Ohio State had a similar situation and uh you know, it’s just it seems like a yearly thing with these second round picks from Cleveland at this point. And then don’t even get me started on Deshun Watson, guys, with all of his accusers and you know, they they’re bringing their kids to training camp to sign it sign their jerseys and all this different stuff holding them up as an idol. I mean, what an absolute joke of a fan base the Cleveland Browns have. Um, and you know, it’s just one of the biggest jokes of an organization in in professional sports. I think as Steelers fans, we understand that. Uh, and then we get to Judkins himself and why this is important for that team from a football perspective here. Um, is that he was supposed to be their number one running back this year. He was their solution to replace uh Nick Chubb in that backfield this year. And right now, it’s not looking fantastic. All right. He was supposed to be their number one running back. Then outside of him, you got Jerome Ford and then another rookie in Dylan Samson who’s super young and I think had needs a little bit of time to really develop even though he’s got serious speed. But Judkins was expected to be their bellcow in that offense. And if that offense was really going to be anything because they don’t have any starting level quarterbacks on their team in my opinion, I don’t believe in Flacco. I don’t believe in Picket. I don’t believe in Shadur and I don’t believe in uh Dylan Gabriel. Their their passing game is not going to be there. So, the run game really had to uh carry a lot of the weight. And with Judkins potentially not on the team this year, um you know, that’s not looking too good for the Cleveland Browns on offense this year. And I would not be shocked, guys. As bad as the Browns were in 2024 on offense, this year might be even worse for that football team, and that is not an exaggeration. Now, before I go here, I do want to give some Twitter shoutouts. I said last Friday that if you followed me on Twitter during the weekend, I would give you a shout out on the show. and I am here to deliver on that promise. Uh we got 33 people that have followed me on Twitter. So big shout out to Brian Carrington, Tanner, uh AD, uh Serpentin, Juan, DK, Jack, Brandon, Jacob, Chris, Mark, Emmanuel, Thomas, Jason, Asher, Brad, Joel, Cap, Rogers, DJ, Cameron, I don’t even know how to say that. I’m sorry, my friend. I’m just going to call you. Uh, we got Kyle Green, Brian 03, S J, uh, Japster, Ad Moose, uh, Joshy, Austin, uh, Breo, John, Ryan, and then, uh, uh, Cloth and Cloth. I’m just going to call you that, my friend. So, thank you guys so much for following me on Twitter, guys. If you want a future shout out on a Steelers Talk show, you guys can follow me on Twitter, Jack Sperry, and you guys can click that subscribe button for daily and free Steelers coverage right here on YouTube every single day. [Music]

Huge Pittsburgh Steelers news today on Steelers Talk with Jack Sperry! T.J. Watt contract negotiations are heating up as Pittsburgh tries to lock in their franchise cornerstone, but guaranteed money remains a sticking point. Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase gave major respect to the Steelers cornerback room, praising Joey Porter Jr. as one of the NFL’s best young CBs. Plus, Sperry breaks down why Calvin Austin III could be this season’s version of Darnell Mooney and why the Cleveland Browns are in serious trouble after RB Quinshon Judkins was charged with domestic battery. Don’t miss the latest Steelers rumors, news, and analysis — hit that SUBSCRIBE button and join the Steelers Talk family today!

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TJ Watt’s Potential Asking Price:
– 4 Years, $161.5 MM
– Signing Bonus: $22.0 MM
– GTD At Signing: $74.0 MM
– Total GTD: $124.0 MM

Jeremy Fowler (ESPN) On T.J. Watt:
“Pittsburgh remains optimistic. I’m told they want to get a deal done. I know there’s been the trade chatter out there. Teams I’ve talked to don’t really expect him to be moved. But this is an issue of guaranteed money as a sticking point.”

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Ja’Marr Chase On Pittsburgh’s CB Room:
“(Joey) Porter (is) pretty smooth, he’s just long…It’s gonna be fun going against Ramsey and Darius Slay. I had an opportunity to go against (Slay) this year and (Ramsey) my rookie year (in the Super Bowl).”

Here’s some more Steelers YouTube segments for you to check out if you’re looking for more insight on the Black & Gold:
– HUGE Steelers Trade News: The PERFECT WR2 For Pittsburgh Just Hit The Trade Market | Steelers Talk https://youtu.be/vkyjTGQxi4A
– Steelers News: Arthur Smith Is Rebuilding The 2020 Titans Offense (Only Better?) In Pittsburgh https://youtu.be/g627y_TCbCk
– Steelers Rumors: Why Gabe Davis Is The Most Likely WR To Be Signed By PIT Before Training Camp | Q&A https://youtu.be/IYxOq78jiNA

T.J. Watt Since 2022:
– 41 Healthy Games
– 36 Sacks
– 46 TFL
– 11 Forced Fumbles
– 17 PBUs
– 3 INTs

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– Will T.J. Watt ever win a playoff game with the Steelers? Yes or No?
– The Steelers have a top ___ CB room in the NFL today

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