Starkey & Mueller

Mullsy and Donny discuss the TJ Watt extension more thoroughly.

PM Team FULL Show 7-17-25

Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo from the PG joined the show. Ray gave his initial reaction to TJ Watt signing his extension with the Steelers. Chris asked about the Steelers scope always being about making it look like they got the better end of the deal. Ray said this is about betting on a player you have known since 2017. Ray brought up JJ Watt breaking down a bit around this age, but he explained why this only locks the team in until TJ is about 34.

TJ Watt signs a 4 year, $123 million extension, with $108 being fully guaranteed. Was this the right move? The guys discuss this.

Chris and Donny react to a 3-year extension for Watt

Chris reacted to a quote from Noah Hiles last night, stating that the Pirates will be ‘aggressive’ and ‘make a lot of moves’ at this year’s trade deadline. Do we want the Pirates to make noise at the deadline? We aren’t very comfortable with Ben Cherington making many significant moves. The players on expiring deals should be as good as gone, but what about the big-names like Mitch Keller? We reminisced about some disastrous trades in the Cherington era so far when it comes to the Pirates selling off bigger names.

Mullsy talks about the current state of the Penguins. How long will the bad days last? Mullsy ranks the top 5 golf courses for major tournaments.

Power Rankings.

The State of the Penguins. Chris’ big question is – how long will the bad times last? The Penguins are the gold-standard franchise in town in the 21st century, with 3 Stanley Cup wins, including the back-to-back run just under a decade ago. For nearly 2 full decades, the Penguins were, at worst, in the mix of things. Chris called the Penguins a ‘blue blood’ of the league for the better part of 20 years. Chris described the decent as steady, but silent, including the shakeup in ownership. Chris thinks the initial part of the Kyle Dubas tenure has been disappointing, but he likes the idea of a rebuild and a team loaded with picks. And as long as they have Sidney Crosby, it could expedite that process. What happens if they don’t land Gavin McKenna?

What words can be used to describe the state of the Pirates? How do fans feel about the impending second half of the season for the Pirates? Jason Mackey joins the show to discuss which Buccos he thinks will or will not be traded.

PG columnist Jason Mackey joined the show. Jason gave his thesis on the Pirates season and said the offense is just unacceptable. Jason again questioned the future of Ben Cherington and said he does not believe Bob Nutting was happy about the offseason approach. He remained confident that Cherington is done after 2025 wraps up. We played a YES or NO game with Jason in regards to players that could still be Pirates after the deadline, and Jason thinks the Pirates will hold on to Mitch Keller.

The State of the Pirates. A season that has mostly been a failure that is nearing its next checkpoint in the form of the trade deadline. What can the organization do to salvage this season? We’ve known that the team would have a limited amount of time with Paul Skenes and so far, they have wasted it. Their plan was to bring in guys they could easily flip at the deadline, almost like they knew they would be bad. Names like Adam Frazier and Tommy Pham were the biggest offseason acquisitions. It seems like Bob Nutting is afraid to fire Ben Cherington because they would be admitting this regime has been an utter failure. Why are they allowing Cherington to run the trade deadline? Is there a real chance he is gone before the season is over? Chris has divorced himself from the idea of the Pirates taking advantage of their time with Skenes.

PM Team FULL Show 7-16-25

The Pirates have traded Adam Frazier to kickstart the trade deadline moves. They are sending Frazier back to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Cam Devanney, who is 28 and has yet to make his MLB debut despite good power numbers in AAA this season. They got something for Frazier and that’s probably better than what we could have expected. Has the outline for this team ever looked worse? We looked at some comparisons between this team and the 2010 Pirates, a squad that lost 105 games. Who are the other players that will be on the move? 93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Poni questioned Jeff for saying the Pirates should make Oneil Cruz the highest-paid player in their history. Jeff said it’s all about Paul Skenes and the finite amount of time they have to win with him here. Jeff said he’s willing to bet on the potential of Cruz and that’s why he’d give him $22M/year. Jeff pleaded that at some point the Pirates need to take a chance. Would the Pirates go out in free agency and sig

93.7 The Fan Sports Director Jeff Hathhorn joined the show. Poni questioned Jeff for saying the Pirates should make Oneil Cruz the highest-paid player in their history. Jeff said it’s all about Paul Skenes and the finite amount of time they have to win with him here. Jeff said he’s willing to bet on the potential of Cruz and that’s why he’d give him $22M/year. Jeff pleaded that at some point the Pirates need to take a chance. Would the Pirates go out in free agency and sign a player like Cruz while they still have Skenes?

Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Mike says that the fact that Watt’s contract is so expensive, it makes sense for him to hold out. He also says that TJ’s holdout is far more likely this year than it was in 2021. He says the door to a potential TJ Watt trade is “at least cracked”. The Steelers need to know when they can escape a bad deal in a potential contract with Watt. Mike says he’d be stunned if the Steelers end up tied to Watt for three years. Mike thinks Micah Parsons should want TJ Watt to sign his deal first. ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi believes that a hold-in is more likely than a holdout for TJ Watt and the Steelers. The Pirates are failing Paul Skenes similarly to how the Bengals defense is failing Joe Burrow and the rest of the offense. Cam Heyward was vocal and said that the players want TJ Watt to remain a Steeler. Aditi thinks that the Steelers front office is disrespecting TJ Watt. Donny Football Debrief – A list that ranked the top 10 defenses since 2000 did not include an

ALL ACCESS w/ Aditi – Aditi believes that a hold-in is more likely than a holdout for TJ Watt and the Steelers. The Pirates are failing Paul Skenes similarly to how the Bengals defense is failing Joe Burrow and the rest of the offense. Cam Heyward was vocal and said that the players want TJ Watt to remain a Steeler. Aditi thinks that the Steelers front office is disrespecting TJ Watt.

– Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk joined the show. Mike says that the fact that Watt’s contract is so expensive, it makes sense for him to hold out. He also says that TJ’s holdout is far more likely this year than it was in 2021. He says the door to a potential TJ Watt trade is “at least cracked”. The Steelers need to know when they can escape a bad deal in a potential contract with Watt. Mike says he’d be stunned if the Steelers end up tied to Watt for three years. Mike thinks Micah Parsons should want TJ Watt to sign his deal first.

How many under-contract holdouts have there been in Steelers history? If TJ continues what he is doing through training camp, it would be a true holdout. The Steelers won’t force TJ Watt to do anything. Poni calls it a “contractual act of war”. Poni also says that there are exceptions to the philosophy that players should make every dollar they can. Mullsy calls TJ Watt’s 2024 season “mediocre” for his standards. Mullsy is not mad at the way TJ Watt is handling things. Donny and Mullsy both side with TJ Watt in this situation. Are the Steelers going to cave and give TJ Watt what he wants? The guys discuss if TJ is worth more than Myles Garrett. Poni thinks that TJ will get more, so he is worth more. Should the MLB consider using the All-Star Game’s tiebreaker for extra innings in the regular season? Poni says that because it is more entertaining, they should consider it. Mullsy is not in favor. The guys think the Pirates three swing-off players would be Cruz, Cutch, and Reynolds.

Are the Steelers going to cave and give TJ Watt what he wants? The guys discuss if TJ is worth more than Myles Garrett. Poni thinks that TJ will get more, so he is worth more.