The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially made T.J. Watt the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL for a second time now, meaning it’s safe to say that he’ll be covering the bill for family dinners moving forward. The benchmark contract, which is good for three years, $123,000,000, and also includes both a $40-million signing bonus and $108,000,000 in guarantees, has also managed to bring Watt’s older brother and former pass rusher for the Houston Texans, J.J., back into the spotlight as well.
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Much to the chagrin of his big brother, the career Steeler is set to rake in $144 million over the next four years. Simply put, Watt’s most recent contract alone is more than enough to eclipse his brother J.J.’s career earnings.
Even though he’s lost out on those bragging rights forever, the fan favorite defensive end is likely content with the current status of the family. The Watt brothers combined give their family name a fortune of more than $274 million.
According to the NFL Hall of Famer and former wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, Cris Carter, the Watts are rivaled only by the Mannings for the honor of being the most successful brotherly duo in NFL history.
“Eli won two Super Bowls in New York City. Eli was considering a one percent ownership in the Giants, and Peyton, Peyton has been a marketing money-making machine, man. He was the first pick in the draft, he’s been paid the whole time. There’s no Peyton Manning discounts. All those commercials, everything. Man, Peyton Manning has made a fortune.”
From the Griffin twins to the Kelce’s, there’s certainly no shortage of brotherly duos throughout the league’s rich history. As Carter suggests, however, none of them come close to matching the value of the Mannings.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Kelce brothers currently boast a combined fortune of $150,000,000, about $25,000,000 less than that of the Watt brothers. For the sake of comparison, the former Indianapolis Colts and two-time Super Bowl champion currently enjoys a personal net worth of $250,000,000.
T.J. Watt's Current Contract
4 years, $144MJ.J. Watt's Career Earnings
$130M— Spotrac (@spotrac) July 17, 2025
His brother, the former New York Giant and fellow two-time Super Bowl winner, sports a personal net worth of $160,000,000, putting the value of their combined fortune well past the $400-million mark. Surprisingly enough, the buck doesn’t stop there, as the next generation of the Manning clan is set to put even more cash on the family table.
Texas’ hotshot quarterback and nephew of Peyton, Arch Manning, is already proving to be the next big college football media sensation. Even though he’s just now preparing for his first full season as a starter, Manning has already managed to generate a $6.8 million NIL valuation, easily the highest NIL valuation in the history of college athletics to date.
Suffice to say, they are referred to as ‘Football’s Royal Family’ for a reason, and it’s going to be a long time, if ever, before a pair of brothers can manifest a greater dynasty than this one.
