The Pittsburgh Steelers have two contradictory yet simultaneously ongoing streaks. On one hand, they haven’t had a losing season since 2003. On the other, they haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 postseason. That combination can only leave you in purgatory, despite having talents like T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, and many others in the building.

There has been notable change this offseason, and the franchise hopes that can spark a turnaround in the postseason. To Watt, the frustration is certainly apparent.

“I mean, I feel like we’ve had great teams. It’s just performing in the biggest moments. And like you said, we’ve had winning records every time, every year I’ve been here. But it’s just being a team that’s continually on the rise and performing in January,” Watt said to Kyle Brandt in a Saturday interview for NFL Network. “People have heard me complain many, many times about not getting to the playoffs, and getting to the playoffs and then not advancing. So, very sick and tired of that story.”

The Steelers’ postseason failures have affected many players. Few, if any, have felt them more than Watt. In his rookie year, the Steelers earned a first-round bye with 13 wins, only for Jacksonville to upset them at home in the divisional round. The Steelers missed the playoffs the next two years.

In his fourth year, 2020, Pittsburgh was on fire for the first three months of the season. The Steelers started 11-0 in a season that could have been Watt’s best chance at a Super Bowl before things fell apart. The Steelers lost three of the last four, and lost to Cleveland in the Wild Card round for the first and only time ever.

Since then, the Steelers have been discarded relatively easily in the Wild Card round by Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore and Houston, in that order. It’s been a grueling process for Watt.

He hopes it will end this year. A new coaching staff is in place, including new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. That’s resulting in a somewhat new role for Watt, who’s been moving around the defense so far in training camp. With three highly-paid edge rushers now on the books, the Steelers have no choice but to get creative. Maybe it’ll spark a bounce-back season for Watt after just seven sacks a year ago.

Watt clearly wants a Super Bowl. Playoff success is the only thing he hasn’t added to his resume yet. And heading into his age-32 season, he doesn’t have loads of time to do so. He’ll hope a new-look version of the Steelers in 2026 can help him get there.