T.J. Watt passes brother J.J. for NFL milestone

Pittsburgh Steelers LB T.J. Watt Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

T.J. Watt passes brother J.J. for notable NFL milestone

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Nov 12, 2023 7:29 PM ET

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt has had some big shoes to fill living in the shadow of his older brother J.J..

But now, T.J. has a claim to fame that his brother doesn’t after passing him for the second-most sacks through his first 100 NFL games (88), besting him by half-a-sack (88 to 87.5).

The only player with more sacks through his first 100 games is Hall of Famer Reggie White, who tallied an improbable 105 sacks over that span.

TJ WATT SACK

You seeing this @JJWatt??? pic.twitter.com/KKnzNB7Gda
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) November 12, 2023

The news came as no surprise to J.J., who stated last week before the Steelers' 20-16 win over the Tennessee Titans on “Thursday Night Football” that he expected his younger brother, who was the 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, to surpass him in the NFL record books.

“T.J. is going to break all my records,” he said. “He’s going to break every single one, it’s just a matter of when and I’m very happy for him.”

We grew up in Wisconsin, idolizing Reggie White.

If you told us that someday a stat like this would exist, we wouldn’t believe you.

Pretty damn cool.

https://t.co/fFCDMHq0zX
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) November 12, 2023

A five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, the younger Watt is also just 26.5 sacks behind his older brother's career mark of 114.5, which ranks 24th all-time. White ranks second with 198.

T.J., 29, has now logged double-digit sacks in five of his seven seasons, including his single-season record 22.5 sacks in 2021. He’s already the Steelers all-time leader in sacks, surpassing two-time Super Bowl champion James Harrison earlier this season.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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