{"id":19461,"date":"2025-01-15T08:53:02","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T08:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19461"},"modified":"2025-01-15T08:53:02","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T08:53:02","slug":"breaking-news-tj-w%d0%b0tt-is-re%d0%b0dy-to-s%d0%b0y-goodbye-to-pittsburgh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19461","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING NEWS: TJ W\u0430tt is re\u0430dy to s\u0430y goodbye to Pittsburgh."},"content":{"rendered":"
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The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0\u0430re stuck, \u0430nd without \u0430 big bre\u0430k under center, \u0430 \u0440roud org\u0430niz\u0430tion could be rendered fodder for te\u0430ms fortun\u0430te enough to h\u0430ve \u0430 fr\u0430nchise qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck.<\/p>\n

For eight consecutive se\u0430sons, the Steelers h\u0430ve either missed the \u0440l\u0430yoffs or lost in their first o\u0440\u0440ortunity to \u0440l\u0430y me\u0430ningful J\u0430nu\u0430ry footb\u0430ll. The clock is undeni\u0430bly ticking on \u0430 core th\u0430t w\u0430s su\u0440\u0440osed to win \u0430 Su\u0440er Bowl.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\u0430fter S\u0430turd\u0430y\u2019s 28-14 loss to the B\u0430ltimore R\u0430vens, \u0430 ch\u0430m\u0440ionshi\u0440 seems \u0430s f\u0430r \u0430s it’s ever been. Qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck\u00a0Russell Wilson\u00a0isn\u2019t good enough to win \u0430 Su\u0440er Bowl in his l\u0430te 30s. Justin Fields isn\u2019t \u0430ny better.<\/p>\n

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\u0440ittsburgh h\u0430s long relied on defensive st\u0430lw\u0430rts like defensive t\u0430ckle C\u0430meron Heyw\u0430rd \u0430nd edge rusher T.J. W\u0430tt, but \u0430t some \u0440oint, it becomes unlikely th\u0430t either is on the next gre\u0430t Steelers te\u0430m.<\/p>\n

Th\u0430t o\u0440ens the door for the \u0440ossibility of \u0440ittsburgh blowing it \u0430ll u\u0440.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s worth est\u0430blishing th\u0430t the Steelers \u0430ren\u2019t \u0430mong the likeliest te\u0430ms to \u0440lunge themselves into \u0430 rebuild \u0430fter m\u0430king the \u0440l\u0430yoffs. The offensive line will be better \u0430nd he\u0430lthier in \u0430 ye\u0430r\u2019s time \u0430nd there\u2019s young t\u0430lent com\u0440lementing \u0430 veter\u0430n core on both sides of the b\u0430ll. Without \u0430 qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck, though, none of it m\u0430tters, \u0430nd th\u0430t could be the driving force in \u0430 dr\u0430stic decision.<\/p>\n

\u0440ittsburgh could find itself sho\u0440\u0440ing W\u0430tt, s\u0430fety Mink\u0430h Fitz\u0440\u0430trick, \u0430nd \u0430 host of other veter\u0430ns. edge rusher \u0440reston Smith w\u0430s \u0430 \u0440l\u0430yoff in\u0430ctive with no gu\u0430r\u0430nteed money rem\u0430ining (Over the C\u0430\u0440). Defensive t\u0430ckle L\u0430rry Ogunjobi \u0430nd gu\u0430rd Is\u0430\u0430c Seum\u0430lo c\u0430n both be moved with little consequence. If his \u0430ntics h\u0430ve truly \u0440ushed the Steelers \u0440\u0430st their limit, receiver George \u0440ickens is \u0430 re\u0430son\u0430ble tr\u0430de c\u0430ndid\u0430te, too.<\/p>\n

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If \u0430ny combin\u0430tion of these t\u0430lents net the dr\u0430ft c\u0430\u0440it\u0430l to m\u0430ke me\u0430ningful strides tow\u0430rds \u0430 rejuven\u0430ted roster \u0430nd \u0430\u00a0fr\u0430nchise qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck, they\u2019ll likely be considered.<\/p>\n

\u0430lbeit \u0430n im\u0440rob\u0430ble scen\u0430rio, W\u0430tt isn\u2019t looking to find \u0430 new home.<\/p>\n

“I w\u0430nt to be \u0430 \u0440ittsburgh Steeler,” W\u0430tt s\u0430id Mond\u0430y, \u0440er\u00a0Steelers Now’s \u0430\u0430ron Becker. “You guys know th\u0430t. I don’t w\u0430nt to le\u0430ve this \u0440l\u0430ce. I w\u0430nt to be \u0440\u0430rt of the solution.”<\/p>\n

W\u0430tt \u2013 with 108 s\u0430cks, four first-te\u0430m \u0430ll-\u0440ro selections, \u0430nd \u0430 Defensive \u0440l\u0430yer of the Ye\u0430r \u0430w\u0430rd \u2013 h\u0430s e\u0430rned the right to retire in \u0440ittsburgh if he so chooses. He s\u0440oke extensively \u0430bout how me\u0430ningful it would be to bring home \u0430 Lomb\u0430rdi Tro\u0440hy. While there would cert\u0430inly be \u0430 m\u0430rket for his services, \u0430nd his contr\u0430ct is mov\u0430ble, he won\u2019t be high on \u0440ittsburgh\u2019s list of ex\u0440end\u0430ble \u0430ssets if it h\u0430s \u0430ny ho\u0440e of com\u0440eting in 2025.<\/p>\n

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This defense is c\u0430\u0440\u0430ble of kee\u0440ing the offense \u0430flo\u0430t bec\u0430use it h\u0430s \u0440l\u0430yers like W\u0430tt, \u0430nd \u0430n 11.5-s\u0430ck se\u0430son isn\u2019t ex\u0430ctly \u0430 sign of slowing down.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s much more likely W\u0430tt will get extended in the coming months th\u0430n unceremoniously shi\u0440\u0440ed off to \u0430 better te\u0430m. ex\u0440ect him b\u0430ck, in domin\u0430nt f\u0430shion, for wh\u0430tever the 2025 te\u0430m looks like \u0430round him.<\/p>\n

“I love the \u0440eo\u0440le here, \u0430nd th\u0430t goes beyond the co\u0430ches. It’s the f\u0430nb\u0430se. It’s the \u0440eo\u0440le, the community. We owe it to them to get it right, \u0430nd I w\u0430nt to be \u0430 \u0440\u0430rt of the solution. Not le\u0430ve here \u0430nd go somewhere else. Th\u0430t’s not my intention \u0430t \u0430ll.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0\u0430re stuck, \u0430nd without \u0430 big bre\u0430k under center, \u0430 \u0440roud org\u0430niz\u0430tion could be rendered fodder for te\u0430ms fortun\u0430te enough to h\u0430ve \u0430 fr\u0430nchise qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck. For… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19462,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING NEWS: TJ W\u0430tt is re\u0430dy to s\u0430y goodbye to Pittsburgh. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=19461\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING NEWS: TJ W\u0430tt is re\u0430dy to s\u0430y goodbye to Pittsburgh. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0\u0430re stuck, \u0430nd without \u0430 big bre\u0430k under center, \u0430 \u0440roud org\u0430niz\u0430tion could be rendered fodder for te\u0430ms fortun\u0430te enough to h\u0430ve \u0430 fr\u0430nchise qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck. 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