In a few years’ time, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt has a very good chance to do something only Julius Peppers has done in NFL history. The 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee holds the unique distinction of a club all to his own. He is the only player to ever record 100-plus sacks while also intercepting 10-plus passes.
In case you haven’t guessed already, the Steelers standout is well on his way to joining that exclusive, exclusive company. In seven seasons, he already has 96.5 sacks and should reach 100 by the end of October. He also enters this season with seven interceptions, averaging one per season. Watt only needs to play three more seasons at that pace to join Peppers in that very rare feat.
According to Pro Football Focus, there are only 22 players in NFL history with 75-plus sacks and five-plus interceptions. Watt is already one of them, of course, in good company with Peppers and many others. Most notably, that list includes the man who came closest to matching Peppers’ feat.
Joey Porter Sr.
While he didn’t play his entire career with the Steelers, Porter recorded 98 career sacks with 12 interceptions. He came just two sacks shy of the 100 milestone. There is also Lawrence Taylor, who recorded 132.5 sacks—and nine interceptions.
Peppers and Porter are the only players with 75-plus sacks and 10-plus interceptions, but Watt is coming. He hasn’t hit either plateau yet, but reaching both feels inevitable. As mentioned, we shouldn’t have to wait long to celebrate his 100th career sack. His 10th interception, though, will probably have to wait a while.
Then again, you never know. Watt is a skilled and cerebral defender with impressive ball skills. We broke down his impressive interception against the Los Angeles Rams last season, which you can review here. While he may be his biggest cheerleader, big brother J.J. Watt said that he looked like a defensive back.
Through seven seasons, T.J. Watt has 401 tackles with 107 for loss, 96.5 sacks, 198 hits, 27 forced fumbles, and seven interceptions. He has multiple seasons with two interceptions, which he did most recently in 2022. His overall numbers already put him in elite company, even exclusive, but round numbers always make for attractive milestones. And 100 is such a satisfying figure, isn’t it?
As for Julius Peppers, he was the second-overall pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2022 NFL Draft. He played 17 seasons, retiring with 159.5 sacks, 11 interceptions, and 52 forced fumbles. A nine-time Pro Bowler, six-time All-Pro, and Defensive Rookie of the Year, he is now a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
T.J. Watt will inevitably join him one day in the first-ballot club, and he will probably do so after crashing Peppers’ one-man party. Few pass rushers exhibit the sort of remarkable coverage skills that Watt possesses. It’s one of the reasons his supporters argue his superiority over other, more specialized rushers who only offer pressure.
