T.J. wed his girlfriend Dani Rhodes in a resort in Mexico in 2022.
Rhodes, an All-American soccer player at Wisconsin, is a remarkable athlete in her own right. She is a graduate of Waukesha West High School, which is located in Waukesha County and is less than ten miles away, just like the brothers at Pewaukee. Rhodes excelled in multiple sports throughout her tenure at West, graduating as the school’s all-time top scorer in basketball and a two-time state soccer player of the year.
Before becoming pro in Iceland, she concluded her career ranked fourth in UW history in goals scored. She was voted Big Ten Forward of the Year in 2019 while playing for Wisconsin.
Watt agreed to a $112 million, four-year contract with the Steelers that included a $80 million guarantee. His contract became effective for the 2022 season, so in 2026 he will once more be an unrestricted free agent.
At Pewaukee High School in Pewaukee, Wisconsin (a little over 15 miles west of Milwaukee), Watt developed into a standout two-play player. He made his varsity debut as a sophomore in 2010, the same year that Derek was a senior and chosen as an inside linebacker on the first team of the All State squad.
Starting in 2005 (J.J.’s junior season), Pewaukee never once missed the WIAA playoffs in the Watt Era, with five conference titles in that stretch. T.J. led the Pirates to conference titles in both his junior and senior years in 2011 and 2012.
But none of the brothers ever made it to the WIAA football semifinals or beyond. In fact, Pewaukee’s first state appearance didn’t come until the Pirates won the Division 3 title in 2021.
As a junior in 2011, T.J.’s heads-up play helped the Pirates make it to the quarterfinals. Watt, a receiver in an overtime second-round matchup with the unbeaten Kewaskum, saw that the officials had indicated the ball was ready for play before Kewaskum had even returned to the field following a timeout. “The ref just said, ‘What are they doing?'” stated Watt. “He answered, ‘Yes,’ when I asked if we could run the play. We started when I gave the quarterback Brock Bateman the order to snap the ball.” That play saw Watt catch an uncontested 25-yard touchdown pass; the Pirates attempted a two-point convert and won, 25-24.