There was a time when Pittsburgh Steelers‘ TJ Watt would daydream about a different kind of glory. Out in the cul-de-sac with his brothers, JJ and Derek, the Pewaukee, Wisconsin-resident would pull out his skates and practice with his hockey stick all day. Upon returning home, he’d run to the basement to practice on the net installed there. It was a routine that the little boy absolutely loved since he started playing at age two. Yet, life had to be cruel after all. With a firefighter father, a blue-collar worker mother, two brothers equally interested in the sport, and the rising costs of hockey equipment, TJ’s dream was forced to take a detour. But, like they say, better late than never, albeit with some jealousy…

On September 3, during a candid sit-down on the In Depth With Graham Bensinger podcast, the 7x Pro-Bowler talked about how he made it to the AAA team, but “[my parents] pulled the rug out from under me”. Watt mentioned, “I loved hockey. I really did…Still to this day, [I] love hockey…I finally made AAA and like I said before, it was…such a tough sport to have three boys…because you’re at different levels and you’re getting pulled different directions. And by the time I even got my breezers, the jersey and everything, [a] kid came and knocked on the freaking door, and it was like, I have to hand over my breezers and my jersey to this kid.” However, also smartly hidden within this story was another important revelation: “I think beer league would be the most fun to do after I’m done playing.” And we’re sure he’ll excel given how he’s never really given up on the sport.

Case in point: A viral clip from 2023 showed him locked in, playing NHL on his console, eyes burning with the same competitive fire he brings to Heinz Field. This brings us to the question: How did the hockey center even excel at linebacker? Well, for that, we’ll need to take a trip down memory lane again… Heads-up: Steeler Nation will definitely need to thank the veteran player’s brothers for that.

One look at the 22-year-old JJ Watt getting drafted by the Houston Texans in 2011, and 16-year-old TJ had decided he’d reach that same place one day. In fact, he was almost sure that the big league would come calling, thanks to the “competitive edge” he developed at home. “It was super important in my development, to play with J.J. and Derek, to get beat up a lot when I was younger. But [also], to be resilient and continue to grow and learn from my experiences playing with those guys,” the player had admitted. Perhaps that was also what made his transition from hockey to football so smooth.

“We’re so set on the next step. There hasn’t really been an ‘I want to be in the NFL’. J.J. always explains it perfectly. When we were in youth football, we just wanted to be on the varsity football team. And once you get to college, you want to have an opportunity to be on the roster and have a chance to suit up. And once that comes, you want to play. And once you play, you want to become a starter. We’re so focused on the next step and not getting hammered by the ultimate goal. That’s helped us in our success. J.J. and Derek have given the blueprint on how to do that,” Watt once told ESPN. Yet, the youngest Watt could never shake off the feeling that he’d been wronged.

I’m really jealous that JJ and Derek got to experience AAA hockey, and JJ got to travel to Germany with my grandpa and my dad and have those stories. I felt shorted in that aspect. I felt like I was pretty damn good at hockey, and obviously, JJ and Derek were really good, too. We’ll never know [if I could have gone pro in hockey],” the LB told Bensinger. At least, the beer league can be a deserved respite. But how soon can we see him there?

Retirement? Not too soon for the Steeler

The word ‘retirement’ might be floating in T.J. Watt’s head, but Pittsburgh just slammed the brakes on any farewell tour talk. In July, the Steelers locked him in with a three-year, $123 million extension, the non-quarterback deal in NFL history at the time. His $41 million a year is more than Myles Garrett’s $160M/4-year deal, more than Ja’Marr Chase’s $40.25 million average on his four-year, $161 million deal.

The Steelers certainly know what they are paying for. Seven straight Pro Bowls, four First-Team All-Pro nods, and a résumé stacked with 108 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, 462 tackles (126 for loss), and 7 interceptions. Now here’s the kicker: Watt’s extension is like a bet on the storm still inside him. Last season, even with an injured ankle, he recorded 11.5 sacks and 6 forced fumbles. Solid numbers by anyone else’s standard—but for Watt? Not really. Steelers insider Mark Kaboly isn’t shy about it either: “He’s going to have 20 sacks this year.”

If he gets there, it’s more than a comeback. In 2025, he might just remind the league why you never underestimate a man who’s still chasing ghosts from the ice rink. But isn’t it good to know he already has a plan in place if he ever steps out of the NFL?