Steelers News

Steelers? J.J. Watt Says He Would Un-Retire in One Scenario

J.J. Watt says he would return, but it would only be for DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans if they really needed him to come back.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 5, 2024

Nick Farabaugh

HOUSTON, TX - SEPTEMBER 15: Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt (99) paces the sideline during the football game between the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium on September 15, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Daniel Dunn/Icon Sportswire)

Would J.J. Watt make an NFL comeback? Over the weekend, there was one scenario where he said he would return to the NFL, but it won’t be for his brother T.J.’s Pittsburgh Steelers. The 35-year-old Watt said he would come back to play for the Houston Texans and DeMeco Ryans if they needed him to return. But it would only be in a dire scenario.

“I told DeMeco last year, I said, ‘Don’t call unless you absolutely need it, but if you ever do call, I’ll be there.’ And he knows not to call unless he absolutely needs it,” J.J. Watt said. “This is the last year I’ll tell him that, because I’m not going to keep training the way I’ve been training, but he knows that if he ever truly does need it, I’ll be there for him. I don’t anticipate that happening — they’ve got a very good group.”

Earlier in the offseason, Watt revealed that he was monitoring the Steelers and Texans situation this past season in the case they wanted him to come out of retirement. T.J. then confirmed during an interview with Fox News Digital that it was a real possibility if the Steelers were in position to make a Super Bowl run.“I was trying to win as much as possible. I knew that was going to be a big factor,” T.J. said. “At the end of the day, all those business decisions are separate from that. He was staying ready just in case, and, obviously, it didn’t come to fruition.”

Even though the Steelers finished strong, their three-game losing streak in early December amid a string of injuries at linebacker and in the secondary doomed them. On top of that, Cam Heyward was playing virtually on one leg, still feeling the effects of groin surgery.

“It was something where if I could bring something that would help propel somebody to a potential Super Bowl situation, where you’d fill in a need and it’s something that could take them to a new level, absolutely,” J.J. Watt told McAfee. “But just to do it would have been ridiculous.”

Watt said he missed the game the most when he came to Pittsburgh for the Steelers’ Week 9 game against the Tennessee Titans, and watched from a suite rather than playing on the field.

“When I went to Pittsburgh and visited T.J. and watched him get ready for the game, that was hands down the moment, where I was like, ‘This is the first time I definitely miss playing,’” J.J. Watt said. “It was halfway through the year. … I felt all those emotions before the game, and then the next morning, he woke up all sore, bruised up, has to go get treatment and everything. I popped up, went for a nice walk and had a coffee. It was great. I don’t have any of those things.”

But it seems pretty simple that this will not be happening. J.J. does keep himself in excellent shape, so if there is anyone who could do it, it would be him. But he has not played since 2022, and it would take a lot for a team to pull him out of retirement at this point.