Manti Te'o says T.J. Watt can break NFL sack record

Former NFL player Manti Te'o believes Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt will challenge Myles Garrett's single-season sack record during the 2026 campaign.

Te'o made the comments Wednesday on Good Morning Football. He pointed to Watt's history of leading the league in sacks three times and the offensive tendencies of the Green Bay Packers under head coach Mike McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Watt recorded 22.5 sacks in 2021 to tie the official NFL mark set by Michael Strahan. Garrett surpassed that total with 23 sacks in 2025. Watt managed only seven sacks last season.

Te'o also noted that Watt, who turns 32 during the season, would need to approach the age-group record of 19.5 sacks set by Robert Mathis in 2013. He said he expects Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig to compete for the Steelers' sack lead.

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