Watt in search of elusive playoff win as he turns 30
T.J. Watt is set to turn 30 years old this season, his eighth in the NFL. He’s also the only one among the trio of famed football brothers still playing the sport.
Those facts haven’t heightened Watt’s sense of urgency to win a Super Bowl ring with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it has put into perspective his career and what he would like to accomplish before he follows brothers J.J. and Derek into retirement.
“Obviously, I don’t have forever to play, but I’ve always approached the game for right now, and I’m never taking anything for granted,” Watt said Tuesday at mandatory minicamp. “That hasn’t changed at all.”
What also hasn’t changed, much to the veteran outside linebacker’s disappointment, is the number of playoff victories on his resume. The Steelers’ last postseason victory came in 2016, a few months before the Steelers selected Watt in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Accolades have followed. Watt has earned a Defensive Player of the Year award, finished as the runner- up twice and has been named a first-team All-Pro on four occasions and to the Pro Bowl six years in succession.
Yet, the Steelers are 0-4 in playoff appearances during the Watt era, including a 31-17 loss at Buffalo in January when he was sidelined with a knee injur.
“It (stinks),” Watt said. “There’s no nice way of putting it.”
As new players enter the Steelers locker room each season, Watt tries to pick the brains of those who have won championships, such as quarterback Russell Wilson.
“I’m trying to do whatever is possible to win,” he said.
After all, time is not on his side. Watt turns 30 in October. Brother J.J. retired after the 2022 season at age 33. Derek Watt, the middle child in the family, retired this offseason at 31 after being unable to land an NFL job in 2023.
“It’s one of those things where I feel great right now,” he said. “I’m living in the moment. I don’t know if I want to play forever. Who knows, it’s hard to say. J.J. said he didn’t want to play super long, but things happened, and he ended up playing longer. I won’t know until that moment comes.”
Vote of confidence
Coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers did their “due diligence” before re-signing cornerback Cam Sutton to a one-year deal last week.
Sutton was released in the offseason by Detroit after his involvement in a domestic incident became public. Sutton evaded police for several weeks before turning himself in to authorities in Tampa, Fla. His felony assault charge was reduced to a misdemeanor battery charge by prosecutors in April.
Tomlin said Sutton’s history with the Steelers — he spent six years in the organization after being drafted in the third round of the 2017 draft — played the biggest role in the reunion.
“It’s not any conversation we had recently,” Tomlin said. “It was the totality of our relationship. I met this guy in Knoxville six or seven years ago when he came out of school. He’s a great guy. He loves football. I probably represent the sentiment of the organization in saying that it’s less about specific conversations particularly of late than the relationship established over a long period of time.”
No Najee
Of the 90 players on the offseason roster, 89 were in attendance for the on-field portion of mandatory minicamp. The exception was running back Najee Harris.
“He had a prior appointment that was approved by me,” Tomlin said. “We expect him back tomorrow.”
