TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona Cardinals defenseman JJ Watt announced in a tweet Tuesday morning that he will be retiring after this season.
“Koa’s very first NFL game. My very last NFL home game. My heart is filled with love and gratitude. It was an absolute honor and a pleasure,” he tweeted along with a picture of him holding son Koa and standing next to wife Kealia at Sunday night’s game between the Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Koa’s first NFL game.
My very last NFL home game.My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It was an absolute honor and a pleasure.
— JJ Watts (@JJWatt) December 27, 2022
Watt’s 12-year career has two games left, both road trips, to the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers.
He will go home as one of the most dominant defensive players of his generation and likely a first-round Hall of Famer. Watt is one of three players, along with Aaron Donald and Lawrence Taylor, to have been named Defensive Player of the Year three times.
All three of those awards came while he played for the Houston Texans (2012, 2014, and 2015), the franchise that ranked him 11th overall from Wisconsin in 2011.
Watt will end his career with the Cardinals after signing with them ahead of the 2021 season after spending 10 seasons with the Texans. He is one of three Watt brothers who play in the NFL.
Koa, Watt’s first child, was born in October. In late September, Watt had his own heart’s rhythm reset after suffering from atrial fibrillation and played days later.
Watt has 111.5 sacks (26th on the NFL career list), a stat officially tracked since 1982. He is also the only player to record 20+ sacks across multiple seasons (2012, 2014).
| player | bags |
|---|---|
| By Miller | 123.5 |
| Cameron Jordan | 112.5 |
| Chandler Jones | 112.0 |
| JJ Watts | 111.5 |
| Justin Houston | 111.0 |
| — ESPN stats and information | |
Since Watt was drafted in 2011, there have only been three other players – Von Miller, Cameron Jordan and Chandler Jones – who have more sacks than him. He’s first in batted passes, second in fumble recoveries, and third in forced fumbles during that time.
Watt also has 28 games with at least two sacks, five more than anyone else since 2011, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.
He is one of four players with 100 career sacks and five touchdowns. Watt has also had four seasons with at least 15 sacks since 1982, second only to his childhood idol, Hall of Famer Reggie White, who had five.
Watt — who is the Texans’ career sack leader with 101, nearly double that, is still playing at a high level at 33.
Of the 48 players with at least 10 pass breakups this season, Watt leads all with 28 pressings and equals Daron Payne with 9.5 for most sacks.
However, Watt’s influence extended beyond the field.
His foundation has raised $6.7 million since its inception in 2010 while he was still in college. His original goal was to raise $100,000, he recently said on Twitter.
After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, the Watts Foundation raised more than $37 million to distribute to victims. His original goal for this was $200,000.