Cardinals’ JJ Watt Humbled as Brothers Pay Tribute to His Career

The Arizona defensive star received a touching honor from his two brothers ahead of his final NFL game.

Cardinals pass-rusher JJ Watt will play in the final game of his illustrious career against the 49ers on Sunday after recently announcing his retirement from the NFL in surprising fashion. But before the three-time Defensive Player of the Year hangs up his jersey and cleats for good, the football world plans to honor him, starting with his two brothers. 

Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt and fullback Derek Watt opted to swap out their usual black and yellow threads to honor their older brother ahead of Sunday’s games. The Steelers’ Twitter account shared a photo of the two wearing JJ’s No. 99 Cardinals jersey prior to their own game against the Browns.

JJ was able to see the touching tribute well before he took the field in California, responding with a heartfelt message of his own.

“Man oh man, I wasn’t ready for this this morning,” Watt wrote in response to his brothers’ tribute. “Genuinely could not ask for two better brothers. This means the world to me.”

Man oh man, I wasn’t ready for this this morning.

Genuinely could not ask for two better brothers.

This means the world to me.

🙏🏼 https://t.co/q56CUOzzyz

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 8, 2023

Watt, a 12-year NFL veteran, already showed that he plans to pay homage to his own football journey with a pair of custom cleats on Sunday. The shoes include jersey numbers from his high school and college career in Wisconsin, in addition to memories from his time with the Texans and Cardinals. Watt also included a picture of his family and names of his family members on the cleats.

Over the course of his career, Watt has recorded 112.5 sacks and six touchdowns (three offensive, three defensive). He’s led the league in sacks twice, made five All-Pro first-teams and is surely bound for the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday.

Watt will make his final NFL playing appearance when the Cardinals and Niners take the field at 4:25 p.m. ET in Santa Clara, Calif.