Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt Closes Early Retirement Talks

Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt has forged one of the most prolific and dominant careers of any pass rusher in the 21st century, and he isn’t ready to call it quits in the near future.

Watt was asked if he would consider playing until he’s 40 years old, to which he replied that he’d keep going for as long as he’s in good health and enjoys playing.

“My wife probably wouldn’t like that,” Watt said. “But I love football. I love it right now. I see myself loving it for a long time, and as long as my body holds up, I want to play as long as I can.”

Selected by Pittsburgh in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin, Watt has already etched himself into the annals of both franchise and league history.

He became the Steelers’ all-time sacks leader in Week 2 of the 2023 season before reaching the 100-sack mark in the team’s Week 5 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys this year, trailing only behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White as the fastest player to ever do so.

Watt has earned Pro Bowl honors six times in addition to garnering first-team All-Pro recognition on four separate occasions. The 30-year-old was also the Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and is tied with New York Giants legend Michael Strahan for the most sacks in a single season with 22.5.

Watt’s dealt with his fair share of injuries over the years, including an MCL sprain at the end of last season and a torn pectoral muscle in 2022, but he’s largely found ways to remain on the field and sustain his availability to the Steelers over his eight-year stint in the NFL.

When it’s all said and done, however, Watt is solely focused on the present and what the rest of the season holds rather than dealing with hypotheticals about his future.

“I don’t want to get caught looking in the future,” Watt said. “I just wanna focus on today.”

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