It’s extremely difficult to make it to the NFL, so it’s always impressive when a family somehow produces multiple professional football players. The Watt family overcame insane odds, sending each of their sons to the NFL. How many Watt brothers have played in the NFL, how many are still active in the league, and who’s had the best career of the bunch?
How Many Watt Brothers Made It to the League?
The Watt boys grew up playing football in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.
J.J. Watt, aka Justin James, was the first brother to suit up in the NFL. He was a dominant defensive presence during his collegiate career at the University of Wisconsin. NFL talent evaluators viewed Watt as a defensive line chess piece who could win on the inside or the edge.
In high school, J.J. was a natural athlete and a four-year letterman in four sports — baseball, basketball, track-and-field, and, of course, football. J.J. originally attended Central Michigan before transferring to the University of Wisconsin, where his legend grew. Watt was selected with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
Five years later, Derek Watt became the next brother to turn his NFL dream into reality. Derek is the only member of the family who played on the offensive side of the ball. The talented fullback followed in his brother’s footsteps and played for Wisconsin. Derek was drafted in the sixth round (No. 198 overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft by the then-San Diego Chargers.
Last but certainly not least, T.J. Watt (AKA Trent Jordan) made it to the league in 2017. He originally played tight end for the Badgers. However, T.J. suffered an injury early in his Wisconsin career, which ended up being a blessing in disguise. While recovering from his injury, T.J. switched to the defensive side of the ball. The rest, as they say, is history. T.J. was ultimately drafted in the first round (No. 30 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, whom he still plays for today.
All three Watt brothers were in the league at the same time, and T.J. and Derek were even teammates on the Steelers from 2020 to 2022. However, J.J. retired after the 2022 season, which also ended up being Derek’s final campaign.
Now, T.J. is the final Watt brother playing in the NFL.
Who Is the Best Watt Brother?
No offense to Derek, but J.J. and T.J. are on a different level. Some NFL analysts would argue that both J.J. and T.J. are future Hall-of-Famers
J.J. is one of only three NFL players to win the Defensive Player of the Year award three times. He was also a five-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro, two-time NFL sacks leader, and the AP NFL MVP runner-up in 2014. He recorded 114.5 sacks throughout his career with the Texans and Arizona Cardinals.
While T.J. is still writing his NFL story, he has already had a number of impressive accolades. He has also won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and could have easily been crowned an additional time or two. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro, and three-time NFL sacks leader. In fact, he tied Michael Strahan’s NFL record for most sacks in a single season with 22.5.
T.J. recently joined his brother in the NFL’s 100-sack club, becoming the second-fastest player since 1982 to reach 100 sacks (trailing only Reggie White).
Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt has surpassed DeMarcus Ware as the 2nd-fastest player since 1982 to reach 100 sacks. 😤
The only player to do it faster was Reggie White.
ELITE company 💪 pic.twitter.com/rmWVTzWEqp
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) October 7, 2024
J.J. has the edge on T.J. in sacks — 114.5 to 100, but the latter still has time to catch his older brother. At 29 years old, he’s still one of the best players in football and hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down.
For now, J.J. is the best of the Watt brothers, but if T.J. continues on his current trajectory, that could change. With that said, don’t be surprised if both of their jerseys are hanging in Canton, Ohio, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday.