The Detroit Lions desperately need another edge rusher, so it comes as no surprise that they landed among the favorites in the betting odds for Pittsburgh Steelers superstar T.J. Watt’s next team if he gets traded.
Watt and the Steelers remain in a contract standoff at the moment, and things aren’t going well, as evidenced by the seven-time Pro Bowler not being in attendance at mandatory minicamp, which will lead to him getting fined.
The chances of Watt actually getting traded are slim, as he’s massively important to the Steelers and serves as the face of the franchise. Knowing that, Watt has all the leverage and it’s just a matter of time before the Steelers cave.
That said, never say never in the NFL and if no one blinks and Watt keeps holding out through training camp, there remains a possibility that the Steelers simply decide to part ways.
If that happens, the Lions are considered one of the favorites to land him in betting odds, with Detroit sitting at (+600). Only the San Francisco 49ers (+400) and Philadelphia Eagles (+300) were given better odds.
The connection to the Lions is easy to make from the outside looking in. Detroit cut Za’Darius Smith and the only sure thing along the edge for the NFC Super Bowl contender is Aidan Hutchinson, who is also coming off a serious injury.
Watt would be just what the doctor ordered, and then some.
He’s an elite edge rusher, and together with Hutchinson, the Lions would have arguably the best one-two punch along the edge in the league and would be in better position to win a Super Bowl.
However, there are several problems with this scenario when you dig deeper.
On top of having to give up significant draft capital, which could start with a first-round pick, the Lions would have to extend Watt with a contract that pays him somewhere between $35-$40 million annually.
A move like that just doesn’t seem to be in the cards for the Lions after general manager Brad Holmes admitted the team couldn’t afford Smith, who is much cheaper than Watt.
As much as we’d love to see the Lions make a big splash at edge rusher, it appears that is not going to happen. Based on that, the Lions shouldn’t be this high in the odds to land Watt if he does get traded.
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