J.J. Watt Says He Wasn't 'Legitimately Close' to Unretiring But Eyed Steelers, Texans

Legendary former defensive lineman J.J. Watt revealed that he was intrigued by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans after hanging up his cleats despite not truly considering coming out of retirement.

"From my standpoint, it was never actually legitimately close," Watt said during a Wednesday appearance on the Pat McAfee Show (11:55 mark). "The two teams I was watching always were the Texans and Steelers because it would have to have a real, true, significant meaning for me to have come back. It just never came to fruition."

Watt retired following his 2022 season with the Arizona Cardinals, but spent the first 10 years of his career on the Texans.

He established himself as one of the NFL's most dominant defensive players in Houston, earning three Defensive Player of the Year awards and finishing No. 2 in MVP voting for the 2014 season.

Watt amassed 101 sacks in 128 games with the Texans and was inducted into the team's Ring of Honor in 2023.

While he never played for the Steelers, signing with Pittsburgh would have given him an opportunity to play alongside a familiar face. His brother, T.J., is a star on the team's defensive front and earned his own Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2021.

J.J. has teased coming out of retirement in the past, as he was still able to rack up 12.5 sacks during his final season with the Cardinals.

Instead, he'll remain in his current role as an NFL analyst for CBS.