J.J. Watt, the Arizona Cardinals defensive finish who has been one in every of the most dominant gamers at his place for a lot of the previous decade, profitable three N.F.L. Defensive Player of the Year
Awards and nearly definitely securing a future spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, indicated on Tuesday that this season could be his final in the league.
Watt posted pictures on Twitter that confirmed him; his spouse, Kealia; and their toddler son, Koa, on the discipline at the Cardinals’ stadium and wrote: “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.” The Cardinals’ closing two video games of the common season shall be on the street, and, at 4-11, they’ve been eradicated from playoff rivalry.
Watt, 33, who performed for Central Michigan and Wisconsin in faculty, was drafted No. 11 total by the Houston Texans in the 2011 draft. At 6-foot-5 and almost 300 kilos, Watt rapidly grew to become one in every of the N.F.L.’s most disruptive defensive gamers, compiling 4 seasons with a minimum of 15 sacks.
He was one in every of solely three defensive gamers unanimously chosen to the N.F.L.’s all-decade crew for the 2010s, together with Von Miller, then of the Denver Broncos, and Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams.
In the 2014 season, Watt secured 20.5 sacks, returned an interception and a fumble for touchdowns and caught three landing passes as a decent finish. Watt completed second to Aaron Rodgers for the Most Valuable Player Award, which is run by The Associated Press; he had the most votes for a defensive participant since Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor received the award in 1986.
Watt was additionally identified for his neighborhood efforts, most notably when he raised over $41 million via his charity to assist victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas in 2017. He received the N.F.L.’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2017, which acknowledges philanthropy and neighborhood impression in addition to excellence on the discipline.
“His commitment to the community is unlike any player in N.F.L. history,” the Texans proprietor Janice McNair mentioned in a statement in 2021.
Watt’s dominance on the discipline and his charitable work helped him turn out to be one in every of the league’s hottest athletes. He hosted “Saturday Night Live” in 2020.
Watt’s gaudy particular person statistics by no means translated into championship success for the Texans, who by no means made it previous the divisional spherical of the playoffs throughout Watt’s tenure with the crew. And after one other dominant season in 2015, accidents started to take their toll on Watt. He performed in each common season recreation in solely two of his closing 5 seasons in Houston, and performed a complete of solely eight video games in 2016 and 2017.
After a 4-12 season in 2020, Watt was launched by the Texans; he had requested to go away the crew searching for a championship as his play declined and the Texans started to rebuild.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that I don’t have 10 years left in this league,” Watt advised reporters throughout his closing season in Houston. “I’m not looking to rebuild. I’m looking to go after a championship, and that’s what I want to do.”
The Cardinals started the 2021 season with seven straight wins. But Watt suffered a shoulder damage in the seventh recreation that sidelined him for the the rest of the common season. After a 10-2 begin, the Cardinals spiraled at the season’s finish, ending 11-6. Watt returned for the crew’s wild-card recreation, however the Cardinals had been steamrollered by the Rams, the eventual Super Bowl champions.
In September, Watt had his coronary heart shocked again into rhythm after experiencing atrial fibrillation, a heart-rhythm abnormality. Watt performed days later in the Cardinals’ win over the Carolina Panthers, however it was a second that Watt mentioned made him take into consideration not taking part in soccer anymore as he fought via tears in the postgame information convention.
Watt is having his greatest season since 2018, main the Cardinals with 9 and a half sacks, together with a three-sack efficiency towards the Broncos this month.
Watt final received the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2015. His youngest brother, linebacker T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, received the award for the 2021 season. Another brother, Derek Watt, is a fullback for the Steelers.
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