UPDATE 12/12/25 at 2:12 p.m. ET: JJ Watt is sharing an update on his brother, T.J. Watt, after he was hospitalized with a lung issue.
“Yesterday TJ had successful surgery to stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung suffered Wednesday after a dry needling treatment session at the facility,” JJ wrote via X on Friday, December 12. “Recovery timeline is still TBD, but all went well and he is being released from the hospital today. He and his family are very appreciative of everyone’s kind words and well wishes.”
Original story below:
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was taken to the hospital on Wednesday, December 10, after experiencing lung discomfort at the team’s practice facility.
“T.J. Watt is currently in a local hospital for further medical evaluation of his lung after experiencing discomfort at the practice facility on Wednesday,” the team said in a statement released Thursday, December 11. “He will not be at practice on Thursday, and his status for Monday night’s game vs. Miami is in question. Coach [Mike] Tomlin will provide more updates at the appropriate time.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter later revealed that Watt, 31, first reported the injury while receiving an unspecified treatment before he was hospitalized.
A four-time Defensive Player of the Year, Watt is coming off a game against the Baltimore Ravens in which he had six tackles, including one tackle for loss. He is in the first year of a three-year, $123 million extension he signed in July.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been in the NFL long enough to know when his performance isn’t getting it done. His head coach, Mike Tomlin, could say the same. Asked how he would assess Rodgers’ game in Pittsburgh’s 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, November 9, , Tomlin, 53, was blunt. […]
Watt has started 56 consecutive games for the 7-6 Steelers, who have a one-game lead on the Ravens in the AFC North. So far this season, he has seven sacks, 10 tackles for loss, an interception and three forced fumbles.
Watt’s year has been as eventful off the field as it has been on the field. He and his wife, Dani, welcomed their first baby, daughter Blakely, in March.
“Welcome To The World Blakely Marie Watt!” the couple announced via Instagram at the time. The accompanying carousel included several photos of the athlete holding his newborn.
Weeks later, Watt celebrated Dani on her first Mother’s Day.
“Happy 1st Mother’s Day to my amazing wife!” he wrote via Instagram. “Watching you give birth to our baby girl is my greatest honor. I am so thankful and appreciative of all you do for Blakely and I! We love you so much.”
While the Steelers are undoubtedly more concerned with Watt’s health, his ailment hardly comes at a convenient time. Although the Steelers are still atop their division, their up-and-down season has put real hot seat pressure on Tomlin, 53.
Franchise legend Ben Roethlisberger, who played for Tomlin, 53, for most of his career, even suggested it might be time for the two sides to move on.
“It’s been talked around here a lot. Maybe it is time to clean the house,” he suggested earlier in December on his “Footbahlin” podcast. “Maybe it is, and I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin, but maybe it’s best for him too.”
Roethlisberger’s former teammate, James Harrison, even questioned Tomlin’s coaching ability on a December episode of his “Deebo and Joe” podcast.
“I have never been a person that thought Coach Tomlin was a great coach,” Harrison said. “I thought he was a good [coach]. … A good coach gets you to play to your potential. And right now, the players we have on that team I have seen play, they’re not playing up to their potential. A great coach gets you to play to your potential.”
