If you thought that T.J. Watt was going to take his foot off the gas pedal after inking his four-year, $112 million contract back in 2021, you were wrong. After becoming the richest edge defender in the NFL, Watt fought through recurring hip, knee, and groin injuries en route to a Defensive Player of the Year season.
Expectations were overflowing for Watt entering the 2022 season at the age of 27. Sadly, the Pittsburgh Steelers star tore his pectoral muscle in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals. This kept him out of action until Week 10 -- essentially derailing his season.
Now Watt is back with a vengeance. While the mainstream NFL media is talking up players like Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and Nick Bosa, they seem to be sleeping on one of the best defenders in the league, and Watt isn't backing down without a fight.
The proof is in the pudding. Watt has been training hard this offseason to get back in football shape. On July 20th, the three-time First-Team All-Pro posted photos with some of his training buddies... and Watt looks completely shredded.
“Act normal”. 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/lgqmUmJZGN
— TJ Watt (@_TJWatt) July 20, 2023
Just days earlier, future first-ballot Hall of Famer, J.J. Watt, posted pictures of him and his brother working on their pass rush moves. It isn't abnormal to see star football bulk up during the offseason, but Watt is looking bigger than ever.
Early in the 2023 offseason, I had the privilege of sitting down for an interview with T.J. Watt who expressed that his playing weight leveled off around the 265-pound mark last season. While Watt isn't going to get much bigger at this stage of his NFL career, it looks like he might have tacked on a few more pounds of muscle this past offseason.
Obviously, how a player looks in shorts has very little to do with their performance on the football field. However, there should be nobody out there questioning Watt's motivation to get in the best shape of his life.
Understandably, Watt's numbers took a major dip in 2022, but that was no doubt due to his injuries. If he can stay healthy for a 17-game season in 2023, it's possible that the Pittsburgh Steelers legend could give us the best season of his NFL career. And that would be a pretty impressive feat.