The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been short of popular players in their storied franchise’s history. When you think of recent Steelers jerseys being worn around the country, the obvious names that come to mind are Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Heyward, and, at one point, Antonio Brown. This current generation of Pittsburgh players already has a member of their team topping jersey sales. We’re referring to T.J. Watt, who recently came in seventh, according to the official NFL shop.
Watt is nestled between the New England Patriots’ second-year quarterback, Mac Jones, and the Los Angeles Chargers’ rising star, Justin Herbert as you can see in a Tweet shared by the league’s shop.
Watt bringing in money with his name and jersey number shouldn’t be all that surprising to be honest. Just like his older brother, J.J. Watt, the Steelers’ pass-rushing extraordinaire came in like a thunderbolt into the NFL. At the age of 27, Watt is already a three-time All-Pro. He’s consistently been at, or near, the top of key defensive stats such as sacks and tackles for a loss.
Of note on that list is one of the Steelers’ biggest rivals, Cincinnati Bengals star signal-caller Joe Burrow. The 2021 Comeback Player of the Year according to the Associated Press and the Pro Football Writers of America, Burrow has already become one of the league’s most popular players. His toughness and resiliency late last year as he willed the Bengals into the Super Bowl make him a worthy opponent for the Steelers for years to come.
One last tidbit on these NFL jersey sales: it should not come as a big surprise that the Steelers consistently have players bringing in money. According to the NFLPA, Pittsburgh had three players within the top 50 of verified NFL player sales for 2021. Among those in that group were Roethlisberger (48th), Watt (21st), and JuJu Smith-Schuster (20th), who is now a Kansas City Chief. This current trend will likely continue. Actually, it might even explode with other players gaining popularity and recognition, such as Najee Harris, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and Alex Highsmith.
