The Pittsburgh Steelers made a great decision back during the 2017 NFL Draft when the organization decided to select TJ Watt with the 30th overall pick. Watt has been one of the best defenders in the league since being drafted, and he is the all-time sack leader for the Steelers -- which is a feat he accomplished during the 2024 season. He won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award for his performance during the 2021 season in which he tied the NFL's single-season sack record, and he probably should have some more hardware as he has been notably snubbed several other times.
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Steelers superstar pass rusher TJ Watt talks with longtime defensive leader Cam Heyward during training camp.
Watt will turn 31 years old during the 2025 season, and he just had his first child during the 2025 offseason. He is preparing to enter his ninth season with the Steelers, and fans are going to need to start to worry about the star outside linebacker deciding when to retire. He is nearing the age where he might begin to think about it, which is especially true after having a kid. Watt recently sat down for an interview with Graham Bensinger, and Bensinger asked Watt about his thoughts on retirement.
"It's nice to see that lifestyle now, but I always get the itch around this time to go back to work," Watt said. "I think it's really special when guys can retire when they are playing at a high level. You never want to be that guy that's just hanging on by a thread. That was important for JJ [Watt]. It was cool to see him, I think he had 12 sacks or something, he was going off at the end, like those last couple weeks of his career."
The star defender for Pittsburgh doesn't seem like he is considering retirement quite yet, but it sounds like he wants to be able to go out on the top of his game. He doesn't want to be playing a limited amount of snaps in a contest while struggling to make any sort of impact as he ages. If his production begins to drop, that might be a sign he's ready to hang up the cleats.
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Steelers' TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith and company stand on the field during Friday Night Lights.
Watt's production dropped during the 2024 season, but that can mostly be blamed on a ankle sprain that he suffered near the end of the regular season and then played through to finish the year. It certainly hindered his performance, and he should return to being the dominant player that the fan base is used to once the 2025 season begins.
The star was having a spectacular season until an injury got in the way, and he will likely be a star once again in 2025. Retirement should be several seasons away for Watt, especially after he was able to sign a new extension right before training camp began this summer that keeps him in Pittsburgh through the 2028 season.
Steelers' TJ Watt Watched Both Of His Brothers Retire Fairly Early
TJ saw his two brothers, Derek Watt and JJ Watt, both retire semi-early. They each had children, and Derek retired at the age of 31, while JJ retired when he was 33. TJ's current age is a topic that is slowly going to continue to creep up on him. He will be 34 years old when his new contract with the Steelers is up, and it will depend on how he is playing, but that might be the time when the star outside linebacker decides to hang it up.
Lake Fong / Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Steelers welcome TJ Watt (middle), shown with Head Coach Mike Tomlin (left) and Team President Art Rooney II (right) back in 2017.
Pittsburgh is doing everything possible to win now for TJ, and hopefully that works as he has yet to win a playoff game in his career.
What do you think about TJ's comments about retirement? Let us know in the comments below!
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