The Watt Brothers: Everything to Know About the NFL Family
Get to know this family of football players: J.J., Derek and T.J. Watt
In the Watt family, it’s all about football.
J.J., Derek and T.J. Watt are a trio of brothers whose football careers began in their hometown of Pewaukee, Wisconsin, playing in high school and later in college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. All three brothers have since made their way to the NFL, racking up multiple accolades and major contracts during their time in the league.
In 2020, the brothers made history when the Houston Texans, J.J.’s team, went up against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had Derek and T.J. on the roster at the time. The matchup was only the second time since 1927 that three brothers played in the same NFL game.
J.J. announced his retirement from the league in December 2022, playing his final game the following month. T.J. has continued his football career with the Steelers, while Derek became a free agent at the beginning of the 2023 season.
But football isn’t the only sport these brothers have done together. In 2019, it was announced that the trio would be hosting Ultimate Tag, an obstacle course competition series on FOX.
“It was really fun to be able to do that together,” T.J. told PEOPLE. “We’re really close-knit and family-oriented so it’s great to be able to spend quality time together while working together. We know we’re lucky to be able to have this.”
From their college days to NFL careers, keep scrolling for all the details on the Watt brothers.
John and Carrie Watt welcomed their first son, Justin James, on March 22, 1989, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.
While attending Pewaukee High School, J.J. was a four-year letter-winner in football, also lettering in baseball, basketball, plus track and field. He made official visits to the University of Minnesota, the University of Colorado Boulder and Central Michigan University, ultimately deciding to play for Central Michigan in the 2007 season as a tight end.
J.J. transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he redshirted his sophomore year in an effort to prolong his period of eligibility to play at the university. He played as a defensive end at the university during the 2009 and 2010 seasons, skipping his senior season to enter the 2011 NFL draft.
On April 28, 2011, J.J. was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round as the 11th overall pick.
Throughout his 10 seasons with the team, J.J. played in 128 games. He set franchise records for sacks and forced fumbles, was a five-time Pro Bowl selection and is one of three NFL players to earn the Defensive Player of the Year title three times.
In October 2019, a devastating tear to his pectoral muscle ended his season with the team. While recovering after surgery, celebs including Dwayne Johnson and Jennifer Garner voiced their support for the defensive end.
The injury didn’t hold him back from other commitments, like hosting Saturday Night Live for the first time in February 2020, the night before the 2020 Super Bowl. His appearance on the show included a tribute to Kobe Bryant and a parody of The Bachelor‘s Peter Weber.
J.J. was granted a release from the Texans on Feb. 12, 2021. “The connection I have with the people of Houston is special, and I will never take that for granted because I know how rare it is,” the defensive end shared in a video on Instagram. “I just want you to know that I love you and I appreciate you.”
Two weeks later, he signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. J.J. shared a photo of himself lifting weights while wearing a Cardinals’ shirt, writing: “Source: me,” to announce the news.
In early 2016, J.J. began dating soccer pro Kealia Ohai Watt, though their romance wasn’t revealed until later in the year. They were introduced by Kealia’s brother-in-law, Brian Cushing, who had been a teammate of J.J.’s on the Texans.
On May 26, 2019, J.J. announced that he had proposed to Kealia. The couple shared the happy news on Twitter, with J.J. writing, “I’m the luckiest man in the world,” along with photos from the beachfront proposal.
The couple tied the knot in the Bahamas on Feb. 15, 2020, surrounded by family and friends. Shortly after celebrating their second wedding anniversary, they revealed in June 2022 they were expecting their first child, due in October.
Their son, Koa James Watt, arrived on Oct. 23, 2022. The Watts made the announcement on Instagram, sharing a sweet image of Mom, Dad and the newborn at the hospital.
“Love and happiness have reached heights we never even knew existed,” the couple wrote.
On Dec. 27, 2022, J.J. surprisingly announced his retirement at his final NFL home game at State Farm Stadium. “Koa’s first ever NFL game. My last ever NFL home game,” he wrote. “My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It’s been an honor and a pleasure.”
Just two weeks later, before his final NFL game, the defensive end was brought to tears over a video featuring his friends from the league. As seen in an episode of HBO’s Hard Knocks, fellow football stars including Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott shared pre-recorded messages. His wife and son, brothers and parents also offered words of encouragement for J.J. in the clip.
Following his retirement, J.J. and Kealia joined the ownership team for English soccer team Burnley FC. The former football player also landed a gig with CBS Sports as an analyst.
Derek John, John and Carrie Watt’s second son, was born on Nov. 7, 1992, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.
Like his older brother, he played football at Pewaukee High School. Derek committed to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and switched positions from high school, becoming a fullback. He played at the university from 2011 until 2015, overlapping with his younger brother on the same team from 2013 to 2015.
In the 2016 NFL draft, Derek was drafted by the San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers) in the sixth round as the 198th overall pick. He made his NFL debut against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 11, 2016, during the season opener. During his four years as a fullback for the Chargers, Derek played in all 16 games every season.
In 2015, he began dating Gabriella Justin, and they became engaged two years later. On Feb. 17, 2018, the couple said, “I do,” at a beachfront ceremony in Miami, Florida. Exactly one year later, they celebrated their first wedding anniversary and the arrival of their first son, Logan James Watt, on Feb. 17, 2019. Their second son, Brayden George Watt, arrived on Dec. 9, 2020.
Derek signed a three-year, $9.75 million contract in March 2020 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The contract was not renewed ahead of the 2023 season, so Derek is a free agent.
John and Carrie Watt’s youngest son, Trent Jordan, was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, on Oct. 11, 1994.
T.J. was recruited as a tight end to play for the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison after high school but was injured in the 2014 season. He was in the recovery process until the middle of the 2015 season, his sophomore year, when he was asked to switch to a defensive position.
For his work during the 2016 season, he received first-team All-American honors from Sports Illustrated and second-team honors from The Associated Press. In November 2016, he was chosen as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player for the 2016 Big Ten Conference football season.
On Jan. 3, 2017, he announced via Twitter that he would enter the 2017 NFL draft and forgo his senior season. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the first round of the draft as the 30th overall pick. He was signed on June 14, 2017, to a four-year, fully guaranteed $9.25 million contract.
He made his NFL debut during the Steelers’ season opener game on Sept. 10, 2017, against the Cleveland Browns, making him the first rookie starting linebacker for the team in almost 30 years.
In 2019 and 2020, T.J. was a finalist for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award before winning in 2021. The same year, he signed a four-year contract extension with the Steelers, worth over $112 million with $80 million guaranteed, per ESPN. The extension made him the highest-paid defensive player in the league.
Despite T.J.’s immense success within the NFL, it’s inevitable that he has been compared to his brothers, J.J. in particular. During a 2022 interview with the Pivot Podcast, he praised J.J. for being “unstoppable” in his early years with the Houston Texans.
“I want people to understand how great my brother truly was in his prime,” T.J. told the podcast. “You go back and you look, you watch the film, the guy was frickin’ unstoppable. Absolutely unstoppable. He’ll never say it, but people need to go back and look at that.”
“The guy was doing incredible things for four or five years, and I think he can still play at a high level. I think I’m too early in my career to compare myself to him,” he said.
While attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, T.J. studied retailing and consumer behavior. He was teammates with his brother Derek at the university from 2013 until 2015, before wearing the same uniform again in 2020 when Derek signed with the Steelers.
T.J. met fellow student-athlete Dani Rhodes, a soccer player, during his time at Wisconsin and they began dating in September 2016. Like T.J., Rhodes grew up in Wisconsin, where she attended Waukesha West High School and played soccer and basketball. After getting engaged in 2021, Rhodes and T.J. celebrated their wedding a year later in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on July 9, 2022.
