On an otherwise slow NFL news day, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins agreed to a blockbuster trade on June 30th that saw two Pro Bowlers land with new teams. The Steelers sent three-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Dolphins in exchange for tight end Jonnu Smith, three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and a pick swap. The Steelers will also be taking on nearly all of Ramsey's $26.6 million salary in 2025.
That last part is particularly interesting for two reasons. First, the Steelers are already short on salary cap space, and Ramsey is set to make quite a bit more than Fitzpatrick was. Second, the Steelers remain locked in a contract dispute with their six-time All-Pro pass rusher, T.J. Watt. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, teams had already been calling Pittsburgh to gauge interest in a trade for Watt, but that should only intensify after this most recent trade.
Are the Chicago Bears, who failed to address their pass rush situation this offseason, one of those teams?
Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles has shown a willingness to spend big on positions of perceived weakness even in this offseason. He made Drew Dalman the fourth-highest-paid center in the NFL in free agency and recently traded for and extended guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson. With those three moves, the interior offensive line went from a massive liability to one of the league's best. So why wouldn't Poles at least look into doing the same for the defensive line?
Trading for T.J. Watt would be a power move for Poles. It would signal his belief in this team's ability to compete for a Super Bowl in head coach Ben Johnson's very first year. Watt would immediately be one of Chicago's greatest defensive ends in the franchise's storied history and would give defensive coordinator Dennis Allen all the firepower he needs to unleash the Monsters of the Midway.
But 'have the Bears inquired about trading for Watt' may not be the most important question for Bears fans. The answer is almost certainly a yes, anyway. The more important question is, should they make this trade?
The Bears have even less salary cap space than the Steelers, and they have important players who will likely require extensions soon. Offensive tackle Darnell Wright is entering his third year and could be in line for a mammoth contract. Safety Jaquan Brisker may earn a modest extension, too.
And if all goes according to plan, in two years' time the Bears will have to shell out unprecedented contracts for quarterback Caleb Williams and receiver Rome Odunze.
There are many ways for NFL general managers to game the salary cap system through bonuses, restructures, void years, and more. In fact, there are so many tools available for the savvy GM that 'the salary cap isn't real' is a popular quip amongst NFL fans. But the cap is, in fact, real, and at some point, teams must pay the piper, as the New Orleans Saints have recently discovered.
Trading for (and likely extending) T.J. Watt would be exciting but fiscally ruinous for the Bears. They are not yet at the point where they can take a big gamble on a one or two-year rental of a superstar, and the multiple first-round picks such a trade would require are too valuable for a team that is still building up from the ground.
Ryan Poles absolutely should be calling the Steelers about a potential trade; it's his job to do so. But I don't think the Bears should seriously consider actually pulling this one off.
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