Will the Cardinals’ defensive sensation J.J. Watt retire at the end of the 2022-23 NFL season?
One of the best defensive players in the league for over a decade and perhaps an even better man off the field, join us for a look at the career of J.J. Watt.
Known as much for his efforts off the field of play as on it, the Cardinals star appears to have indicated that this will in fact be his last season in the league. If that’s the case, it goes without saying he will be missed.
Cardinals’ J.J. Watt suggests he will retire at season’s end.
According to a post from his official Twitter account, Cardinals star J.J. Watt hinted that he will retire at the end of this season. The post of course, comes as a surprise consider that Watt is literally playing the best football of his career for quite some time. Now in his 12th season in the league, the defensive end is currently leading the Cardinals with 9.5 sacks for the season. Yet, it now seems that’s all set to come to an end, with his telling announcement after his team’s overtime loss to the Buccaneers on Christmas night.
In the post, Watt can be seen in a photo with his wife, Kealia and the in fact son, Koa, on the field in the moments following Monday’s game. The accompanying caption - as seen above - reads “Koa’s first-ever NFL game. My last ever NFL home game. My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure.” Assuming Watt holds to his word, it will indeed be his last game at State Farm Stadium, with the Cardinals set to play their final two games of the season on the road against the Falcons and 49ers respectively.
J.J. Watt the player & the man
To be frank, this is a significant loss for the Cardinals. During the 2022-23 campaign, Watt has been a critical part of Arizona’s defense, registering his highest sack and quarterback hit totals since 2018, when he was awarded Comeback Player of the Year, as an All-Pro pass rusher for the Texans. Further punctuating the point, is the fact that just earlier this season, Watt was dealt a blow with news that he was suffering from an atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat that requires the use of electric shocks in order to return the heart to its regular rhythm.
Now 33-years-old, Watt will leave behind a career that saw him spend his first 10 years in the league with the Texans, before moving to the Cardinals, where he confirmed his status as one of the best defensive players of his generation. As can often be the case in the NFL, injuries took their toll in recent years, to the extent that he collectively missed two whole seasons across four occasions on during which he had to watch from the sidelines. On the other hand, when Watt was healthy, there was no doubt that he was absolutely lethal off the edge and along the line. In case you’re wondering, he currently ranks 26th on the all-time sacks list with 115.5 career sacks. The man known as ‘The Milk Man,’ due to the fact that he always delivered, led the NFL in sacks two times and even surpassed 20 takedowns twice. Along the way Watt was awarded Defensive Player of the Year three times (2012, 2014, 2015) and honored as an All-Pro on seven occasions to go with five Pro Bowl selections. Yet, perhaps the most admirable of all his achievements was what he did off the field of play. The recipient of the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, Watt raised tens of millions for those in need following Hurricane Harvey’s disastrous effects.