TJ Watt likely had his social media post already written prior to Myles Garrett being announced as this year’s NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Watt fired off the following post on the platform formally known as Twitter as Garrett was making his acceptance speech.
“Nothing I’m not used to,” Watt wrote.
It’s safe to say that Watt is taking this personally and will use it as motivation this offseason. While he did win the award in 2021, you could argue (as his brother JJ has) that the Steelers‘ outside linebacker should have multiple DPOY trophies.
Watt lost out to Stephon Gilmore in 2019 after recording 14.5 sacks and leading the NFL with eight forced fumbles. In 2020, he lost out to Aaron Donald after pacing the league in both sacks and tackles for loss. Watt finally won the honor in ’21 after he tied Michael Strahan’s NFL single-season sack record.
This past season, Watt missed out on the award again despite racking up a league-best 19 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and an interception. To compare, Garrett tallied 14 sacks, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery this past season for the Browns.
While he may be upset about Thursday night’s outcome, Watt’s primary goal for the 2024 season is surely team-oriented. He told CBS Sports before the start of the ’23 season that winning his first playoff game was his primary focus.
“I’m not about the individual goals anymore,” Watt said. “I’ve set myself up nice where I’ve been having a good career but it doesn’t matter if you’re not winning games when they matter most. I think that’s objective No. 1, for sure.”