JJ Watt reacts to brother TJ signing historic contract extension with Steelers

JJ Watt is loving that his brother, TJ Watt, is signing a new contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers. On X/Twitter, JJ reacted to TJ signing a three-year, $123 million contract with Pittsburgh.

“Earned. Deserved. Incredible,” JJ Watt wrote. Those three words are the perfect way to describe TJ Watt’s new deal. The Wisconsin alum will get $108 million fully guaranteed at signing. Watt will average $41 million per year, making him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history for the second time in his career.

Before the start of the 2021 season, TJ Watt signed a four-year contract extension with the Steelers that was worth over $112 million and $80 million guaranteed. He celebrated by tying the NFL record in sacks with 22.5 and winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award at the end of the 2021 season.

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Watt went on to record 36 sacks in the next three seasons, including 19 sacks in 2023. At the end of the 2024 season, Watt was a finalist for the Defensive Player of the Year award after recording 11.5 sacks and six forced fumbles.

In January, Watt spoke to reporters about wanting to win a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh. “It’s tough. Sit here same time as last year, same time have been in this scrum,” Watt said. “Same questions, and I had the same answers. Obviously, I’m very frustrated with how things ended. That’s not just with the last game, that’s with the last month of football. It’s a collection of things and it starts with myself. I need to play better. We need to play better.

“There’s not one thing that needs to be fixed here. There’s a lot of things. But it starts internally with myself. Need to play better in bigger moments. It’ll be a long offseason to have to sit with that.”

JJ Watt knows about signing historic contracts. In 2014, JJ signed a six-year contract extension with the Houston Texans that was worth $100 million. At the time, JJ was the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history. In JJ’s career, he recorded 114 sacks and was named Defensive Player of the Year three times.