NFL Player TJ Watt Has Eaten the Same 2-Ingredient Breakfast Every Day for Years

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt is a beast on the football field. Since being drafted in the first round in 2017, he’s consistently been an NFL leader in sacks and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.

Recently, he made history as the second-fastest player to record 100 sacks—beating his brother, former Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt, by 11 games.

So what fuels Watt’s impressive performances and iconic leg kick game after game? Apparently, the exact same breakfast every morning.

Pittsburgh Steelers' TJ Watt's 2-Ingredient Breakfast

In 2018, ESPN reported that Watt was eating 7,000 to 8,000 calories and drinking two gallons of water every day to maintain his body weight. His diet consists of what you’d expect—lots of protein and vegetables—but the future Hall of Famer also shared that he eats the exact same breakfast every day. And, despite appearing on the box in 2023, it's not Wheaties.

After sports reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala tweeted a photo of Watt’s brother, former Pittsburgh Steelers fullback Derek Watt, arriving at training camp with a container of homemade food in 2021, another X (formerly Twitter) user posted, “Wonder if @_TJWatt  took his own to #Steelers #Camp and if @JJWatt will tomorrow for #Cardinals #Camp?”

T.J. responded, “I’ve been eating the same oatmeal every morning for the past 5 years. So yes, I take it in to work everyday!!”

When you’re in need of a quick, nutritious breakfast, oatmeal is a great option to turn to. While it’s tasty on its own, made in the microwave with water—the way Ina Garten enjoys it every morning—it’s also easy to doctor up with fruits, cinnamon, and nuts. 

Watt didn’t share his go-to oatmeal recipe—or his preferred brand, though we’d like to assume it’s Quaker Oats, seeing as it is the “official oatmeal sponsor of the NFL”—but we do know that he’s become known for his breakfast habit.

Even Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin mentioned Watt’s love for the simple meal.

“He’s able to maintain his body weight over the course of the season. I’d watch him eat oatmeal and things like that in the morning to try to maintain it,” Tomlin said.

TJ Watt's Favorite Foods

Watt’s diet isn’t all about the oats, though. He also enjoys grilling steaks and burgers—and is even known to hit a drive-thru window. Much like his brother, J.J., T.J. is a fan of the Midwestern fast food chain Culver’s. 

However, he isn’t ordering the J.J.’s Way meal but instead opts for a double deluxe burger with added ketchup and cheese curds.

And, of course, the Watt brothers have partnered with Old El Paso for two football seasons now to share their love for tacos—both traditional and non. In Old El Paso’s newest campaign, Watt Can Taco, T.J. and Derek face off in a cooking show-style contest, judged by J.J., to turn pizza, gameday grilling staples, and even soup into taco creations.

For what it’s worth, we think you should have won the Soups Soups Soups challenge, too, T.J.

We don’t know if it’s superstition or not, but between Watt’s breakfast and Travis Kelce’s French toast before every game, it seems like there might be a correlation between eating the same thing and being top of your game in the NFL.