Kliff Kingsbury Says JJ Watt Blindsided Cardinals With Retirement

The superstar defensive end announced his retirement on social media Tuesday.

The Cardinals' coaching staff, including head coach Kliff Kingsbury, apparently learned of star defensive end JJ Watt’s retirement announcement at the same time that fans did Tuesday.

When speaking with media on Wednesday, Kingsbury subtly revealed that the coaches weren’t aware of Watt’s retirement decision until he posted it publicly on social media.

“Happy for him; he seems like he’s in a really good place,” Kingsbury told reporters. “We had no idea that that was coming, but what a tremendous player, person and all-time greatest. To see him play the way he played the other night and then hear that. I think it’s just a special time for him, the organization, the entire NFL to kind of celebrate him these last two weeks.”

Kliff Kingsbury says he didn’t know J.J. Watt was going to announce his retirement on Tuesday pic.twitter.com/PW68c3e2ay

— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) December 28, 2022

Watt leaves the NFL after 12 seasons as one of the top defensive ends in the league’s history. He was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times.

He spent his first 10 years with the Texans before moving to the Cardinals ahead of the 2021 season. His final two games will be against the Falcons this weekend and then a matchup with the 49ers in Week 18.