It was a historical moment for the Watt family when T.J. signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, because all three of the brothers were in the NFL at the same time. Derek — who was already playing with the Steelers — told Sports Illustrated that his younger brother “asked for his blessing” to sign with the same team as him. “It’s gonna be awesome,” he said, mentioning that he and T.J. were the ones who fought the most growing up. “We truly have become so much closer and I’m excited to be able to play with him again.”
But growing up with an older brother who became an NFL legend, it’s been hard for both Derek and T.J. to gain recognition as individual athletes. “For the younger two boys, it was super hard to be ‘J.J.’s younger brother’ — and for so long, too,” the brothers’ mother Connie told DK Pittsburgh Sports. “Now, I hear J.J. joke that, ‘I’m the brother of the two Steelers.'”
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And in September 2020, the three brothers had the opportunity to play on the same field in a Houston Texans versus Steelers game. J.J. told AP News that playing against his younger brothers in the NFL will be “incredible,” “special,” and “very, very cool.” And now, Derek and T.J. are feeling grateful for their older brother’s guidance.
