Home ahoho TJ Watt was back under the stadium lights—and his biggest supporter was running on coffee and pure adrenaline less than a month after surgery for a partially collapsed lung.

TJ Watt was back under the stadium lights—and his biggest supporter was running on coffee and pure adrenaline less than a month after surgery for a partially collapsed lung.

ahoho · 06/01/2026 · comments off
T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates after intercepting a pass during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Dani Watt Posts Sweet Tribute to Husband TJ Watt in First Game Back After Surgery to Repair His Partially Collapsed Lung
TJ Watt and Dani Watt.Credit : Kevin Sabitus/Getty; Dani Watt/Instagram

Dani Watt is standing by her husband’s side.

The wife of TJ Watt shared a supportive post to her Instagram for the Pittsburgh Steelers star, 31, who made his return to the field on Sunday, Jan. 4 after undergoing surgery for a partially collapsed lung.

In a slide shared to her Instagram Stories, Dani first joked that 8:20 p.m. games “should be illegal” as TJ and the Steelers faced off against the Baltimore Ravens for the final matchup of regular season.

“This mama is tired. Been up since 3:20am 😅,” she wrote, adding text over a photo of her coffee cup.

In a follow-up slide, Dani — who welcomed her first child, daughter Blakely Marie Watt, with TJ in March — made clear that she’ll stop at nothing to support her husband.

“But we rally baby because 90 is BACK! 💛” she wrote over a video of herself wearing a black and yellow Steelers t-shirt.

Dani Watt Posts Sweet Tribute to Husband TJ Watt in First Game Back After Surgery to Repair His Partially Collapsed Lung
Dani Watt posts sweet tribute to her husband, TJ Watt, on Jan. 4, 2026.Dani Watt/Instagram

On Dec. 11, TJ Watt was hospitalized after experiencing lung discomfort at the team’s practice facility. He underwent surgery to repair a partially collapsed lung, his brother JJ Watt revealed the next day.

The medical issue was caused by a dry needling session at the Steelers’ facility two days earlier, JJ explained.

“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, 36, wrote in a post on X on Dec. 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,” JJ said.

T.J. Watt after an NFL game on October 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada ; T. J. Watt and Dani Rhodes at the 11th Annual NFL Honors on February 10, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
TJ Watt and his wife, Dani.Chris Unger/Getty ; Karl Walter/Variety/Penske Media via Getty

Dani, who wed TJ in July 2022, also shared an update on the NFL star’s health on her Instagram Stories at the time.

“Yesterday TJ completed successful surgery to stabilize and repair a partially collapsed lung suffered early Wednesday after a dry needling treatment session at the facility. It has been a very long hard couple of days but he will be home soon to recover,” she wrote.

“Thank you all for the incredible outpouring of love, prayers, and support the past couple of days,” she continued, adding, “And praise God for the amazing medical teams at both hospitals! 🙏❤️.”

TJ’s return to the game was a good one — he, along with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and their teammates defeated the Ravens in a nail-biting 26-24 win to earn a spot in the playoffs. They’ll next face the Houston Texans on Jan. 12 in the Wild Card Round.

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