T.J. and Derek Watt are set to play together in Pittsburgh in 2020. Did J.J. Watt express interested in joining his brothers on the Steelers?
A brotherly bond is not one that’s easily broken. This is especially true when it comes to the Watt family. Brothers J.J., Derek, and T.J. Watt have been close all of their lives. They all played their college ball at Wisconsin, and while J.J. entered the NFL two years before getting to play with Derek on the Badgers, Derek and T.J. got to play on the same football team in 2015. Now, that trend continues with the Steelers.
While not impossible, it’s rare to see a pair of brothers playing together on the same team in the NFL. Apart from the Watt’s, the Griffin brothers and the Edmunds brothers have accomplished the same thing.
But three brothers together on the same NFL team is just unheard of. While this is unlikely to happen, it sounds like J.J. may be envying his brothers. According to Teresa Varley of Steelers.com, T.J. Watt caught J.J. “wearing a Steelers hat around the house.”
'I looked at J.J. and said it sucks to be you right now because we are playing together again. He is jealous. I caught him wearing a @steelers hat around the house. I have a shot of it on my phone, but I won't leak it to the media, I promised J.J.' - @_TJWatt om @JJWatt 😂 https://t.co/LpHiRhm5XM
— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) April 7, 2020
J.J. Watt has been incredible to the city of Houston. He’s been one of the faces of the whole city and his foundation raised $41.6 million in Hurricane Harvey relief. While it’s highly unlikely the city of Houston would ever want him to go, that may not stop Watt from feeling jealous.
J.J. has earned $109 million since 2014, according to Over the Cap, and money really isn’t an object for him at this point. However, a strong case of ‘fear of missing out’ could have him re-thinking where he would like to spend the remainder of his career.
Under the direction of Texans head coach and general manager, Bill O’Brien, some head-scratching moves have already been made. Last year, Houston traded away Jadeveon Clowney for a 2020 third-round pick. They also gave away two first-round picks and a second-round pick for Laremy Tunsil and Kenny Stills – knowing Tunsil was going to be entering the final year of his contract.
Watt, however, is one of the rarest defensive players the NFL has seen, and after all he’s done for the community, even Bill O’Brien wouldn’t be bold enough to deal him in a trade.
Steelers fans and J.J. Watt can join together thinking of a dream scenario where all three Watt brothers are playing together on one of the NFL’s most established franchises. But the fact of the matter is, there’s just no realistic way of making that happen.