Landing a legendary superstar in free agency like J.J. Watt always seemed like a pipe dream. As much as we all wanted to see Watt join his brothers on the Pittsburgh Steelers, there were other teams who could afford to dish out more money to the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner. However, this might not have been as unrealistic as it seemed.
Recently, Watt joined the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long where he revealed that playing with his brothers was something that certainly crossed his mind. In fact, it might have even been on the table as a viable option.
""They were (a possibility). It certainly would have been awesome to play with my brothers, but T.J. was also going through (his) contract situation there, so the last thing I wanted to do was come in and take any money away from his contract.""J.J. Watt via Green Light Podcast
Watt pointed to his brother's contract negotiations as the main reason for steering clear of Pittsburgh during the 2021 offseason. T.J. Watt spent the summer operating under a 'hold-in' as he was looking to become the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. His big brother didn't want to muddy the waters or give Pittsburgh's front office any less money to work with.
Ultimately, J.J. wound up signing a two-year, $28 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals. At that stage in his career and after multiple back injuries, the Steelers couldn't afford to pay him what he was ultimately going to get from another team.
J.J. Watt to the Steelers was more than just a pipe dream
Steelers fans were pleasantly optimistic that something like this could happen, though most would admit that this reunion of the Watt brothers was just a hope and a prayer. It's probably safe to say that the odds of it actually happening were more realistic than we initially thought.
We all know that Mike Tomlin has a soft spot for family ties, and what better way to appease T.J. than to sign one of the best players of this past generation? Sadly, it all comes down to money, and J.J. made the best move for him financially.
Watt has made it very clear that he has no intention of coming out of retirement. But in the hypothetical (and unrealistic) scenario where he decides to come back for a year, consider the Pittsburgh Steelers a top candidate.