J.J. Watt, a retired NFL veteran, closely follows what his brother T.J. is accomplishing with the Steelers. During the game against the Bears, T.J. officially became the Watt family’s all-time sack leader, surpassing J.J., who held the record at 114.5 sacks.
“If he’s going to pass my record, that’s one hell of a way to do it. Good for you T.J.,” J.J. said during the game against the Bears, where he was working as a commentator for CBS Sports. T.J. Watt now stands at 115 sacks after his takedown of the Chicago quarterback.
T.J. Watt will obviously continue to extend the sack record and further distance himself from his brother J.J.’s mark. J.J., for his part, even joked about coming out of retirement and returning to the field: “Well, that’s it I’m gonna put the pads back on because this is preposterous,” J.J. said on CBS Sports.
How many years did J.J. Watt play in the NFL?
J.J. Watt played 12 years in the NFL. One of his finest seasons came in 2012 with 20.5 sacks, a total he repeated in 2014. While he never had another 20-plus sack season, he posted 17.5 sacks in 2015. After that, his career was plagued by injuries, with his last strong seasons being 2018 (16 sacks) and his final year in 2022 (12.5 sacks).
J.J. never won a Super Bowl ring, but he reached the playoffs in six seasons, a solid achievement for a player of his caliber. In those nine playoff games (mostly with the Texans), he recorded a total of 6 sacks and 31 combined tackles.
T.J. Watt could surpass his brother in other stats
Beyond sacks, T.J. could potentially surpass J.J. in career longevity. At 31 years old, T.J. already has nine years in the league. Furthermore, with 500 combined tackles currently, it is possible he could top J.J.’s total of 586. In terms of Quarterback Hits, the retired Watt brother has 317, while T.J. currently sits at 241.
