Getty The Watt brothers talk after a game.
J.J. Watt wasn’t retired longer than a day before Pittsburgh Steelers fans started flooding social media with pleas for him to join his brothers in the black and gold. But Watt had yet to respond to those pleas — until now.
On the morning of February 17, Steelers fan Milton G. posted on Twitter, tagging J.J., Derek, T.J. Watt and Mike Tomlin. “What if we signed J.J. for like the league minimum just so he get a year with his bros!! Coach Tomlin must feel this.”
Not but a half-hour later did Watt make his stance clear by responding to Milton G. “I love my brothers VERY much. I don’t love them THAT much.”
The NFL league minimum for 10+ years of service is $1.165 million.
I love my brothers VERY much.
I don’t love them THAT much.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 17, 2023
On December 27, 2022, J.J. Watt announced his pending retirement after an illustrious 12-year Hall of Fame career. He was drafted 11th overall by the Houston Texans in 2011 and headed west to the Arizona Cardinals in 2021. Over his career, Watt tallied north of 110.0 sacks, 580 total tackles, 191 tackles for loss, 313 quarterback hits and 69 defended passes. He also had two interceptions, both for touchdowns.
During a press conference, T.J. first talked about the news a few days later.
“He’s been talking about it for a little bit. Never knew how serious he was until the last couple of months,” Watt said. “Super proud and happy for him, excited to see him play these last two weeks. Just a hell of a career.”
T.J. Watt Talks About His Brother Returning to NFL
Steelers star linebacker T.J. Watt has six seasons under his pro career belt — half the time J.J. Watt retired. Hopefully he’ll be around for a dozen (mainly) productive years like his older brother. But it sounds like he’s getting a taste of what retirement will be like once he does get there.
“I mean the locker room, the guys, the relationships, the camaraderie of being a part of something bigger than yourself, but it’s also the continuous chase for something, ” T.J. Watt told Peter King about what J.J. already misses. “That’s what you talk about when guys get out of the NFL. It’s like you have to find something to chase to motivate you because you’re no longer going to have a workout where you’re pushing through.”
Watt says J.J. has been working out like he never left the game, which worries him. “His brother-in-law is Brian Cushing (former Texans teammate), and they were working out together in Houston the other day, and I was like, that’s not good. You guys are just gonna push yourself until someone gets hurt or something bad happens, and there’s gonna be no explanation for it as to why you push yourself so hard cause you don’t have a game coming up.”
T.J. Watt has probably been asked whether his brother will unretire to rejoin the NFL as much as J.J. has. “I really don’t think so, but that’s a question for him. I don’t know the honest answer to that.”
As for whether the eldest Watt will join his little brothers in Pittsburgh, T.J.’s answer is always the same. “You’d have to ask him that.”