Future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt raised eyebrows earlier in the week when he said he “definitely was monitoring” the situations involving the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans this past season as he considered potentially coming out of retirement.

Steelers superstar pass-rusher T.J. Watt admitted during a chat with Ryan Morik of Fox News Digital that he was thinking about getting his brother into a Pittsburgh black-and-gold jersey when the club was 7-7 in the middle of December.

“I was trying to win as much as possible,” T.J. Watt explained. “I knew that was going to be a big factor. At the end of the day, all those business decisions are separate from that. He was staying ready just in case, and, obviously, it didn’t come to fruition.”

J.J. Watt retired after the 2022 season and acknowledged this past September he liked “waking up feeling great” due to no longer being part of an active football roster. The 34-year-old inducted into the Texans’ Ring of Honor on Oct. 1 previously indicated he could’ve spent a season with the Green Bay Packers, but the Wisconsin native instead put his health first.

“I think, in hindsight, he’s happy he didn’t have to come back and deal with all the soreness and things,” T.J. Watt added. “He’s not living a bad life at all.”

J.J. Watt is plenty busy away from football fields, as he serves as a minority investor in English Premier League side Burnley. He also works as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports, and Andrew Marchand wrote for the New York Post in January that Watt “could have a bigger role” on “The NFL Today” program next season “if he wants it.”

However, one wonders if J.J. Watt has any second thoughts about not playing alongside his brother for a cup-of-coffee stint considering the Steelers qualified for the playoffs. Pittsburgh’s postseason run ended with a 31-17 wild-card loss at the Buffalo Bills.

As for any idea that J.J. Watt could give Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin a call this coming summer, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year told “The Pat McAfee Show” this week that he is “1,000% done” playing.

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