Steelers' T.J. Watt Hints at Brother J.J.'s Return

Could J.J. Watt be the next star to join the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Oct 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Texans player J.J. Watt speaks to the crowd after being inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers defense looks electric, as they work through training camp and discover there are minimal holes within this group. But even if you already have an elite group of players, there's always room for another superstar, and maybe a future Hall of Famer is thinking about joining.

Joining the Up and Adams Show at training camp, Steelers superstar T.J. Watt was asked about any possibility his brother, J.J., returns from retirement this season. This is far from the first time anyone has asked Watt about his brother's return to the NFL, but T.J. wasn't shy talking about how there may be a possibility.

"You'd have to ask him that, but I know he's staying in shape," Watt said. "We talked again last night. I'm always sending him film, he's always wanting to see film, and he's always trying to correct me and help me become a better pass rusher and stuff. So, he definitely is still interested. I don't know how real all that conversation is, you'd have to have that with him, but who knows."

Adams tried to dig a little deeper, calling out Watt's answer and saying it sounds like there's a chance.

"That sounded like a very b.s. answer," Adams joked.

"We'll see, we'll see. I don't know, he's still in great shape," Watt responded.

J.J. made it known in the past that if he were to ever un-retire, it would be for two teams - the Steelers and the Houston Texans. Earlier in the offseason, he said he was thinking about joining Pittsburgh down the stretch, but the need wasn't there.

"I definitely was monitoring the Steelers and Texans situations, but it never escalated to any sort of actual potential," Watt said on the Pat McAfee Show. "It would have been an absolute dream come true. To play with my brother would have been great. It’s just, realistically … They were all set. They’ve got great players."

With the Steelers defense being stout this season, the window may be opening once again. This team doesn't have many holes, but adding another valuable piece won't do it any harm. And if J.J. is looking for a smaller role to make sure his body can stay healthy, it'd be easy to spread the reps out between him, Cam Heyward, Larry Ogunjobi and the rest of the group. Or, he could bounce to the outside and rejoin an old friend in Markus Golden and his brother T.J. along with Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig.

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