Steelers' T.J. Watt: 'I'm too early in my career to compare myself' to brother J.J. Watt

Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro edge-rusher and reigning Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt made history during the 2021 NFL season when he tied Hall of Famer Michael Strahan for the most sacks recorded by a player in a campaign with 22.5. 

Earlier this offseason, Watt was referred to as a potential Most Valuable Player candidate who could potentially set multiple personal records during the upcoming season. Thus, some have understandably compared the 27-year-old to older brother J.J. Watt. 

During his best days with the Houston Texans, J.J. Watt earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2012, 2014 and 2015. As noted by Kevin Patra of the NFL's website, J.J. Watt also finished second in MVP voting for the 2014 campaign. Per Patra and Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, T.J. Watt reminded everyone of these realities during the latest edition of "The Pivot Podcast." 

"This is like a real thing. I do think it's misconstrued…I want people to understand how great my brother truly was in his prime," T.J. Watt explained. "I think it gets lost today, and I know he'd be upset if I said this, but I think it truly is. You go back, and you look, you watch the film, the guy was frickin' unstoppable. Absolutely unstoppable. He'll never say it, but it's like, I think 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 at the moment, honestly."

It was said last month that T.J. Watt is "getting close" to becoming a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. No disrespect meant, but J.J. Watt has already reached that level, while T.J. still has a ways to go. 

Also on "The Pivot Podcast," Steelers running back Najee Harris discussed how he and iconic Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban routinely "bumped heads a lot" and "did not get along at first."