From Arizona to Pennsylvania, from one Watt to another, Markus Golden has gone.
Golden, a nine-season NFL veteran, signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers and will be rushing the passer with a familiar name.
Having spent the last two seasons as a teammate of J.J. Watt with the Cardinals, Golden is now sharing a locker room with J.J.’s younger brother, T.J. Watt.
"I’m excited to just come in here and ball with him and be able to say I played with both Watt brothers," Golden said this week.
The 32-year-old Golden played parts of seven seasons with the Cardinals and tallied one-plus year of service with the New York Giants. Over this time in the league, he's posted 68 starts in 111 games played with 47 career sacks. During his tenure, he's played alongside plenty of stellar pass rushers such as Dwight Freeney, Calais Campbell, Chandler Jones and Haason Reddick. But if all goes to plan he'll settle in to the No. 3 OLB spot behind Watt and Alex Highsmith for Pittsburgh in 2023.
In doing so, Golden will be able to say he rushed the passer with both Watts as teammates. That's 10 combined Pro Bowls, eight total All-Pro selections, four Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year accolades and more than likely two Hall of Fame enshrinements.
"I know J.J. I know he works hard, and is a funny guy. Everybody thinks J.J.’s just being serious all the time," Golden said. "T.J. is a great dude, I’ve been able to talk to him, catching up as soon as I walked in, he showed me some love, and told me stories that J.J. told him, so it feels good to be with him. I know he’s a great player just like his brother."
For those keeping count, there is a third Watt brother with NFL experience in Derek, who played the last three seasons with the Steelers. Derek's currently a free agent, though, so Golden still has one more Watt to potentially play alongside. For now, the veteran is getting familiar with his new squad and so far so good going from Arizona to Pennsylvania and one Watt to another.
"This is a great organization," Golden said. "I’ve been able to meet some people here, and of course [OLBs coach] Denzel [Martin], that’s like my brother, me and him talk a lot, so I know about how it is up here and the vibe and how everyone up here is cool, and as long as you do your job, you’re good, and that’s the type of guy that I am. Come in, do my job, get the work in and do whatever I’ve got to do to help the team win."