When the Houston Texans released JJ Watt in 2021, he immediately became a prime target for several teams. The Pittsburgh Steelers could have been that landing spot for Watt following his separation from the Texans, which would have put him on the same team as his brother, TJ Watt.

However, for brotherly reasons, JJ Watt decided not to pursue such an opportunity, knowing that entering into a negotiation with the Steelers could impact TJ's earning power.

“Certainly, it would have been awesome to play with my brothers, but T.J. was also going through the contract situation there, and the last thing I was going to do was come in and take any money away from his contract,” JJ Watt said during a recent appearance on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast (h/t Kevin Patra of NFL.com).

JJ Watt ended up going to the NFC West division by signing a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals worth $28 million in 2021. TJ Watt, on the other hand, inked a mammoth four-year, $112.011 million contract extension with the Steelers.

One has to wonder how the Steelers would have fared if both JJ Watt and TJ Watt played alongside each other during the former's twilight years in the NFL. In two seasons with the Cardinals, Watt amassed 13.5 sacks and 55 combined tackles through 23 total games.

JJ Watt, a shoo-in for Canton, retired at the end of the 2022 NFL regular season without a Super Bowl ring but with a clear reputation as among the best to ever play defense in the history of pro football.