JJ Watt considered joining his brothers on the Pittsburgh Steelers

One destination weighed heavily on JJ Watt‘s mind before joining the Arizona Cardinals due to some family ties.

Back when Watt’s time with the Houston Texans ended, he became one of the hottest free agent defenders on the market. We all know now Watt took his talents to Arizona, but apparently the star pass rusher almost joined his brothers with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“During an appearance on the Green Light Podcast with Chris Long, J.J. Watt acknowledged that the Steelers were indeed on his list of potential teams,” wrote Dov Kleiman of BroBible. “He admitted that it would have been an incredible experience to play alongside his brothers but emphasized his concern for T.J.’s contract situation.

“J.J. did not want to inadvertently affect T.J.’s earnings by demanding a substantial salary himself. In the end, J.J. Watt made the decision to sign a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.”

That’s an admirable admission from Watt, as he didn’t want to take money off the table for his brother’s contract. While the trio never was able to suit up together, it still warmed the former NFL Defensive Player of the Year’s heart to see TJ Watt have so much success with one of the NFL’s legacy franchises.

Moreover, Watt retired from the NFL earlier in the offseason, and now he’s ready to enter the media world as a broadcaster with CBS. The former Texans and Cardinals star made the announcement earlier this summer.

“A little pro tip out there for anybody starting a new job, don’t screw up the announcement, it’s not a good way to start your first day on the job. Especially if that job is at a global network with millions and millions of viewers, hundreds of Emmys, you just want to start off on a better foot. I will be working at CBS this fall,” Watt said with extra emphasis on the B. 

Watt did not reveal his exact role with the company, but did express excitement about working alongside James Brown, Bill Cowher, Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms, and Nate Burleson. If those are in fact Watt’s direct coworkers he will likely be a part of the network’s pre-game show ‘The NFL Today’ where the panel previews and recaps all of the NFL’s action on Sundays during the season. 

“Talk a little NFL this fall, talk a little life, have a global platform to make fun of my brothers on, it really is a great opportunity. I’m very much looking forward to it, very much looking forward to talking NFL with all you fans this fall and hopefully giving you some knowledge, giving you a little experience, and maybe some laughs along the way. So it’s gonna be a lot of fun, I’m excited to join CBS, lets have ourselves some fun,” Watt concluded.

No, JJ Watt never got to suit up alongside his brothers, but now he can cheer them on from the booth in his next venture, and you can bet TJ and Derek will be listening when they can.