Steelers interview: T.J. Watt talks about his health, J.J.’s retirement, and more

Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt sat down with Tommy Jaggi to talk about the 2022 season, injuries, J.J. Watt’s retirement, and more. 

Despite injuries that forced him to miss the first half of the 2022 season, T.J. Watt made his presence felt far and wide — which is certainly what we’ve been accustomed to seeing over the years. The Pittsburgh Steelers went 1-6 in his absence this past season before catching fire with a 7-2 finish upon his return to the field following the Week 9 bye.

On February 2nd, I had the privilege of sitting down for an interview with Watt where he talked about his partnership with Invisalign and answered numerous questions about his health status, his team, and the players he has faced.

Watt was very open to talking about the pectoral injury suffered in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he shared what was going through his mind the moment after sustaining the injury.

“Those significant-type injuries you can always feel in the moment, whether it’s a hamstring or a pec. I knew it was something serious,” Watt stated during the interview. “I obviously didn’t know the full severity of it. Thought it was worse than what it was, but that’s what you always hope for when you’re getting scans afterward.”

Following his return to the field after spending the first half of the season on IR, many speculated whether or not Watt was back to full strength. Art Rooney II had mentioned during a one-on-one with Missi Matthews that he didn’t know if T.J. was ‘one hundred percent.’ When asked about Rooney’s comments, Watt opened up.

“Yeah, I’m feeling a lot better now. I mean, it just seemed like the injury bug bit me hard this year and I couldn’t really shake it. It was just one thing kind of after the other. Just little bumps and bruises along the way that prevented me from playing the type of football that I’m used to playing and normally play.” Watt continued, “I gained a lot of perspective; tried to learn as much as I possibly could throughout the process. Trying to become a better teammate and a better leader, and that’s why I’m excited to get back to the drawing board here in Wisconsin and get my offseason started.”

Watt informed me that his health did influence his decision to back out of the Pro Bowl games this year — noting that he needed to let his body rest more than anything.

The Steelers star also mentioned that his playing weight has rested around 260 pounds — up from his listed weight of 252 pounds since entering the league.

Watt answered a number of questions on various topics during our time together, including sharing his reaction to J.J. Watt’s retirement and weighing in on if there was ever a realistic chance at some point in the past that J.J. considered joining the Steelers. He also discussed the biggest difference between defensive coordinators Keith Butler and Teryl Austin and revealed the best offensive tackle he’s ever gone up against.

To watch the whole interview with T.J. Watt, check out our Still Curtain YouTube channel. Also, check out Invisalign’s clear oral aligners! Invisalign has been the Official Clear Aligner Sponsor of the NFL since August 2020.