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J.J. Watt Jokes About Joining Steelers Rival

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have to face J.J. Watt twice a season.

Noah Strackbein

Oct 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Texans player J.J. Watt speaks to the crowd after being inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Texans player J.J. Watt speaks to the crowd after being inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH -- The belief that the Pittsburgh Steelers will one day bring J.J. Watt onto the roster to join his brother, T.J., is slowly fading, but certainly not zero. Many will hold onto the imagination that the Watt brothers could make noise on a field together in black and gold until Watt makes it clear he's never coming back.

But now, he's just messing with everyone.

For those who's aren't aware, Watt and his wife Kealia are minority owners of the Burnley Football Club in England. Burnley's goalie, James Trafford, is a Cincinnati Bengals fan, and decided to make a deal with Watt.

In a private message shared from Watt's Instagram account, the two joke about a friendly wager that would end in Watt's return to the NFL. Only instead of playing for the Steelers, he'd be playing for their AFC North rivals.

"Fancy coming out of retirement for the Bengals next season," Trafford writes.

"You don't allow a goal the rest of the season and it's a deal," Watt replies.

This might be a Steelers fan's nightmare, and could lead to some awkward family dinners for the Watt family. It'd also be a kicker for Pittsburgh to have Watt hanging around the facility the last two years from time-to-time only for him to head to the Bengals.

A great joke from Watt, and one that will certainly get fans fired up. But you still have to believe that if he ever woke up and said "I'm going back to the NFL," the Steelers would be the first team he called.

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Noah Strackbein
NOAH STRACKBEIN

Noah is the Publisher for All Steelers, Inside the Panthers (InsideThePanthers.com) and Inside the Penguins (InsidethePenguins.com), and is the host of All Steelers Talk (YouTube.com/AllSteelersTalk). A Scranton native, Noah made his way to the Pittsburgh sports scene in 2017. Now, he's pretty much full-yinzer.

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