T.J. Watt shares how close brother J.J. was to joining Steelers in the past

T.J. Watt opened up about whether or not there was ever a chance of J.J. Watt joining the Pittsburgh Steelers prior to his retirement. 

Back on December 27th, football legend J.J. Watt made his retirement announcement to the nation days after playing his final home game for the Arizona Cardinals. Shortly after, a clip from Hard Knocks circulated showing an emotional J.J. as he watched his closest family members and other NFL legends give him one final sign-off during a heartwarming video tribute.

Prior to Watt’s official retirement, fans around the league still wondered if there was a chance Watt would join his two brothers during the 2023 offseason and become a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sadly, we won’t be able to see this fantasy play out. But how close was J.J. to coming to the Steel City in the past?

Recently, I sat down for an interview with T.J. Watt. The 2021 Defensive Player of the year answered numerous questions regarding his health and his brother’s recent retirement from the NFL. However, I was also able to ask Watt if there was ever any chance in the past that J.J. could have realistically joined the Steelers.

“It might have been more realistic when he was going through free agency the first time, but obviously, not as much this time around just because he was set on retirement and I’m never going to question my brother’s desires,” Watt told me during the interview. “It’s funny because we were just talking, obviously, I knew he was retiring before everybody else did in the mainstream media. But he just kept saying how he didn’t feel very emotional.”

While Watt didn’t expand on how much he would have liked to see both of his brothers on the same NFL team as him, he couldn’t say enough about how proud he was of J.J. and what he was able to accomplish.

“[J.J. Watt] was just in the thick of the regular season that he didn’t feel emotional about the moment until the video played. Obviously, everybody saw it on Hard Knocks, and all kind of overcame him,” T.J. continued, “I’m just so proud of the career that he’s had and he deserves everything from the Defensive Player of the Years to the Walter Payton Man of the Years. Obviously, all the things that he has done on and off the field throughout his career have been incredible to watch.”

It’s hard to be upset with J.J. Watt for permanently hanging up his cleats. The eldest Watt brother has dealt with numerous injuries throughout his NFL career, and he has only played more than half a season 3 teams over the past 6 years.

Watt signed a two-year, $31 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals in March of 2021 — an offer that would have been very hard to pass up. Though we didn’t get to see the future first-ballot Hall of Famer come to Pittsburgh, we can at least take comfort in knowing that the Steelers have a Watt brother of their own who could one day have a bust in Canton as well.