National Football League

J.J. Watt to enter Texans' Ring of Honor vs. T.J. Watt's Steelers

Published Jun. 12, 2023 4:51 p.m. ET

Schedule the Watt family reunion for October in Houston.

Recently retired defensive end J.J. Watt will enter the Houston Texans' Ring of Honor on Oct. 1, coinciding with the team's Week 4 matchup against T.J. Watt and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

J.J. Watt began his Hall of Fame-caliber NFL career when the Texans selected him in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. After recording 5.5 sacks as a rookie, he established himself as a superstar with 20.5 sacks in his second season. That led to the first of his three Defensive Player of the Year awards. He had another 20.5 sacks in 2014 followed by 17.5 the next year.

While Watt enjoyed a dominant 10-year career in Houston, his time with the Texans came to a hard end when he was granted his release following a disappointing 2020 season. He spent his last two NFL seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, retiring after last season with 114.5 career sacks.

Watt expressed his gratitude for the organization following Monday's announcement.

"Damn am I proud to be a Texan," Watt said in a social media video provided by the team. "I’m thankful. I’m grateful. Some of the memories we made, some of the moments we’ve shared together, on the field, off the field, some of the adversity that we’ve been through. There’s nothing that bonds people together closer than when you go through those times and you come out the other side stronger. And we did that.

"So I appreciate you. I thank you. I'm unbelievably excited to be coming home. And we've got a whole lot of new memories to make if you'll have me a part of your family again moving forward."

Texans owners Janice, Hannah and Cal McNair expressed their appreciation for Watt in a statement on Monday.

"We are so excited to have J.J. Watt join the Ring of Honor as our third member. Everybody knows how much J.J. means to our family, the Texans organization and the entire City of Houston," the owners said in a joint statement. "He is one of the most dominant players in NFL history, and he created a unique and irreplaceable bond with our fans. J.J. has always kept a special place in Houston's heart and we're thrilled to welcome him back. On the behalf of the entire organization, we can't wait to give J.J. and his family the celebration he deserves on October 1st."

Watt will join late Texans owner Robert C. McNair and Andre Johnson as the only people inducted into the Texans' Ring of Honor.

Facing T.J. Watt and the Steelers that day will only add to the excitement. The brothers' teams have gone head-to-head twice. J.J. Watt missed the first matchup in 2017, when the Steelers destroyed the Texans on Christmas Day. When the two teams met again in 2020, both J.J and T.J. played, as well as another Watt brother, former Steelers fullback Derek Watt. The Steelers won that battle 28-21, with T.J. Watt recording a sack and two tackles for loss in that game.

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