Jun 27, 2025 5 min read

By Dale Lolley

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

The national media just doesn’t seem to get the Pittsburgh Steelers at all.

First, it was the teeth gnashing that took place over the signing of Aaron Rodgers taking longer than they expected.

To be fair, everyone, including me, would have liked to have seen it done faster. But after investigating the situation and seeing that the team’s leadership was content to allow Rodgers to go at his own pace, it’s hard to get too upset over that.

Now, the national media has locked onto the idea that T.J. Watt is going to become a major issue at training camp because he wants a contract extension.

But that’s unlikely to happen.

During Watt’s last contract negotiations, he was coming off his rookie deal. Now, he’s negotiating an extension as a veteran player coming off his second contract.

And there’s a huge difference.

Watt held a “hold-in” the first time around. His options are a little more limited now.

Yes, he could hold-in again. But given that he went out and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year after his last hold-in, is anyone too upset about that?

If taking things easy on his legs and body in August means he’s the best defensive player in football in 2025, great. And let’s be honest, he’s not going to play a down in the preseason, anyway. Nor should he.

But he’s unlikely to hold out. If he does, the Steelers could fine him substantially for every day he does so. And they have a long-standing policy of not speaking with players regarding a new deal if they’re not in camp upholding their end of their current contract.

If Watt wants to get a new contract – and he does – and the Steelers want to get a new deal done – and they do – the deal will get done.

Again, it might not be within the timeline of some, but it will happen.

• The Pirates just passed the midway point to their season on pace for nearly 100 losses. And after an initial bump from the firing of manager Derek Shelton and hiring of Don Kelley, things have settled back into where they were for most of the season.

The starting pitching is good. The bullpen is fine. The offense is dreadful.

The most sensible thing to do would be to trade any valuable assets to acquire as many valuable future assets as they can acquire. But does anyone really trust general manager Ben Cherrington not to mess that up?

And trading away players such as closer David Bednar, starting pitcher Mitch Keller or shortstop Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, isn’t likely to bring a big enough haul to really help fix anything.

The prudent move would be to trade star pitcher Paul Skenes.

He would bring the biggest haul of talent, and as the Pirates have shown, they’re not going to win with him when they are without any kind of offense.

It stinks. Nobody wants to see Skenes traded. But this is obviously another wasted season for the Pirates, meaning it’s already used up two years of his major league service time.

And you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes Skenes is signing here when he becomes a free agent.

With multiple years of control remaining, his value might be the highest it will ever be. If you can get a team such as the Dodgers or Red Sox, who both have two prospects each in the top-25 of Major League Baseball’s rankings, to give up their top two prospects and some sweeteners, moving Skenes would make sense.

Again, if you trust Cherrington to pull off such a move.

If Bob Nutting does not – and there’s good evidence showing he shouldn’t – then Cherrington should have already been fired as well as Shelton.

• The 2025 Washington County Pony World Series team was chosen this week after a three-day tryout that included nearly 60 14-year-olds from across the county who participated in the Founders League.

In a first this year, the team will include a player from Charleroi.

The team also includes multiple players from the Bentworth School District for the first time.

This year’s team is loaded with pitching and manager John Przybylinski and his staff should have an excellent chance to make a deep run in the Pony League World Series, which begins Aug. 8 at Lew Hays Pony Field.

Washington County’s first game will come at noon Aug. 9 against Italy, the champion of the European Zone.

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter. He is past president of the Pony Leagues for both Washington Youth Baseball and the Founders League.