Barry Sanders Received the Ultimate Compliment From J.J. Watt

This would have been a matchup made in heaven.

While watching the Detroit Lions’ win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the wild-card round, former NFL defensive end J.J. Watt showed some love to Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson. The second-year defensive end recorded two sacks in the victory, and Watt was a big fan of what he was seeing. 

“Aiden Hutchinson spin move is nasty,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

After celebrating the Lions’ first playoff win since Jan. 5, 1992, Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders responded to Watt’s post with a playful question.

“Better than mine?” Sanders said.

Upon seeing this, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year paid Sanders the ultimate compliment. 

do you know how happy I am that I never had to try tackling you?

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 15, 2024

“Do you know how happy I am that I never had to try tackling you?” Watt responded.

Sanders, who was on that Detroit team that beat the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round 32 years ago, is revered as one of the greatest tailbacks ever. His jukes and open-field moves are legendary, but Watt is no slouch either. He enjoyed an extremely successful career of his own, but he’s self-aware enough to know that Sanders was unlike anyone he ever saw in his generation.