Since the day he retired at the end of the 2022 season, there’s been quite a bit of speculation about the potential for future Hall of Fame defensive end J.J. Watt to wind up in Pittsburgh to play with his younger brother, T.J., in an effort to chase a Super Bowl ring together.
J.J. hasn’t helped matters, posting photos of him working out inside the Steelers’ training facility over the years while visiting T.J. in the Steel City.
On Thursday Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin shot down any potential J.J. Watt signing by the Black and Gold, doing so in rather joking fashion during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“Hey, we don’t have enough cash for two Watts,” Tomlin said, eliciting a laugh from the McAfee Show crew.
Well, the Steelers once had two Watts on the roster in T.J. and Derek, but that’s rather fitting from Tomlin since T.J. will be entering the final year of his contract in 2025 and should be in line for another extension from the Steelers this offseason. But being away from the game for nearly two full seasons, J.J. certainly wouldn’t cost much at all.
Tomlin almost undoubtedly knows that, so his answer about not having enough cash was a great way of answering the question without really answering it, avoiding the conversation almost entirely.
In recent years, it would have made sense for the Steelers to try and sign J.J., especially with Cameron Heyward dealing with injuries last season and not being himself. This season, though, the Steelers are rolling right along, and Heyward is putting together an All-Pro season again.
Plus, it doesn’t seem like J.J. wants to play again, and understandably so. He is retired from the NFL but hasn’t specifically ruled out a comeback over the last few years, stating it would need to be a perfect situation for him to put on the pads again. But right now, he’s enjoying the moments away from the game. He put in the time and is now enjoying the fruits of his labor with his wife and son all while becoming a big media personality on NFL on CBS and during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
But it’s still fun to think about what the Steelers could do with two Watts defensively in J.J. and T.J. That dream for many will never die as long as T.J. remains in the Black and Gold, playing at a high level.
