T.J. Watt is sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the foreseeable future (and possibly the rest of his career) after inking a three-year, $123 million contract extension last week. In his first eight NFL seasons, the superstar edge rusher strung together a Hall of Fame resume on paper. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history to receive blatant disrespect.
On Monday, the MMQB Staff on SI released their 'All-Quarter Century Team From 2000 Through 2025'. Vote points were used by the panel of six experts to construct a first-team, second-team, and third-team for each position. Sadly, Watt didn't even make third-team edge rusher.
Here's the biggest slap in the face of all. SI anointed Myles Garrett as a first-team All-Century edge rusher, joining the likes of legends J.J. Watt and Julius Peppers. The second-team edge rushers consisted of Jared Allen, DeMarcus Ware, and Von Miller, while the third-team EDGE was comprised of Jason Taylor, Khalil Mack, and Michael Strahan.
Watt didn't crack SI's All-Quarter Century roster. Instead, he earned a mere four vote points as he joined Cam Jordan and Terrell Suggs as the 'best of the rest'.
Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt deserves a spot on the All-Quarter Century Team
T.J. Watt doesn't have playoff success, and perhaps this is what's hurting him most in these rankings. But everyone knows that playoff wins are a quarterback and team stat, and we can't be oblivious to the hodgepodge of quarterbacks he's dealt with for most of his career (including an aged-out Ben Roethlisberger in his final two seasons).
Other than the lack of postseason wins, it's mind-boggling to comprehend why the Pittsburgh Steelers star couldn't do so much as make third-team All-Quarter Century.
When it comes to measurable statistics, Watt is at a historic pace. Through his first 121 games, Watt has collected 462 tackles, 108 sacks, 126 tackles for a loss, 225 quarterback hits, 33 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, and seven interceptions.
Watt's disruptive play and clutch performances led the Steelers to earn top NFL defenses in 2019 and 2020. His outstanding production also led to four First-Team All-Pro honors, seven Pro Bowls, and 2021 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Watt also finished top four in DPOY voting in four seasons (half of his career so far).
Watt is on pace to be more productive than just about every edge rusher on this historic list. Last year, Watt drew attention when he took the second-fewest games in NFL history to reach the 100 sack mark, trailing only the legendary Reggie White.
Despite all of his on-field accomplishments and the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers have had premier NFL defenses with Watt leading the charge, this wasn't even enough for T.J. Watt to earn as much as a nod as a third-team edge rusher on SI's All-Quarter Century Team. Let's hope he uses this as added fuel to the fire.