GGOATRANK
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American Football · Linebacker · United States

T.J. Watt

2017–present · Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 after tying the single-season sack record.

Active
Ranking model

100% titles, statistics, dominance, longevity and global competition depth.

Pure sporting data
89.4
Cultural & brand footprint 52/100 · total legacy 77.4
Defensive Player of the Year awards
1
Career sacks
115
Pro Bowls
7
Season sack record equalled
22.5
Forced fumbles
33

Category profile

Dominance
90
Peak
96
Longevity
80
Honours
88
Statistics
94

Career timeline · Touchdowns per season

SeasonTouchdowns per seasonShare of career
20177
201813
201914.5
202015
202122.5
20225.5
202319
202411.5

Data sources

  • NFL.com
  • Pro Football Reference
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame

Figures come from public records and are normalised per sport. See the methodology for category weights. Method

Why T.J. Watt ranks #10 in American Football

T.J. Watt ranks 10th among American Football athletes on GOAT Rank and 891st of 2289 across every sport in the index. The published GOAT Score of 89.4 is the weighted result of five verified category scores: Dominance 90, Peak 96, Longevity 80, Honours 88, Statistics 94. Those categories are normalised against the full American Football reference universe of 381 records, not a shortlist, so the position reflects the whole sport rather than a handful of famous names.

The record covers 2017–present with 8 documented competitive seasons. The strongest single season in that series is 2021, which sets the Peak component at 96. Peak is the defining strength of the profile at 96 out of 100, and it carries 20% of the final score. The underlying career record includes defensive player of the year awards 1, career sacks 115, pro bowls 7, season sack record equalled 22.5.

Immediately ahead sits Justin Tucker on 90.0, a gap of 0.6 points. Directly behind is DeMarcus Ware on 89.3. The position moves whenever the verified record moves: new titles, new seasons or a corrected source all feed straight back into the same formula, and every change is dated on this profile.

T.J. Watt GOAT Score explained

Dominance90/100 · weight 25%
Measures how far Watt stood above the field while competing. Scored 90/100 against the full American Football cohort.
Peak96/100 · weight 20%
Rates the best sustained stretch of the career, centred on 2021. Scored 96/100.
Longevity80/100 · weight 20%
Rewards staying at that level over time: 9 years of competition and 8 recorded seasons. Scored 80/100.
Honours88/100 · weight 20%
Counts documented titles, majors and awards in the verified record. Scored 88/100.
Statistics94/100 · weight 15%
Normalises the raw career numbers against everyone in the sport reporting the same metric. Scored 94/100.

T.J. Watt — frequently asked

Is T.J. Watt the GOAT?
Not on the current data. T.J. Watt ranks 10th in American Football with a GOAT Score of 89.4, behind Tom Brady on 97.2.
What is T.J. Watt's GOAT Score?
89.4 out of 100. It is the weighted sum of Dominance 90 (25%), Peak 96 (20%), Longevity 80 (20%), Honours 88 (20%), Statistics 94 (15%), computed from the verified career record.
Where does T.J. Watt rank all time?
891st of 2289 eligible athletes in the cross-sport index, and 10th within American Football.
T.J. Watt vs Justin Tucker: who ranks higher?
Justin Tucker, on 90.0 against T.J. Watt's 89.4 — a margin of 0.6 points.
Compare with Brady