J.J. Watt Reveals Telling Moment When He Realized He Should Retire From NFL

Madison Williams | Jul 26, 2024

Oct 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Texans player J.J. Watt speaks to the crowd after being inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at NRG Stadium. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

J.J. Watt ended his legendary NFL career after the 2022 season, a year in which he totaled 12.5 sacks and 39 tackles.

Many fans still saw Watt near the top of his game at age 33, but the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year knew it was time to hang up his helmet. He provided more details about that realization when speaking recently to his fellow CBS NFL Today crew.

"For me, it was more when I came to the realization that no matter who you are, no matter what position you play, no matter how good you are, it comes to an end for everybody," Watt said. "I kept thinking 'Could I run this until the wheels absolutely fall off?' Yeah, but is that what's going to make me the happiest in my life, with my family, with my body?

"For me, coming to that realization that I was gonna have to face it at some point, I would rather face it after a 12.5 sack season where I still felt good."

This video of Watt, Matt Ryan and Nate Burleson sharing their thoughts on retirement is a fun watch:

When did @JJWatt, @M_Ryan02, and @nateburleson know it was time to hang it up? 🤔

The NFL Today Crew share their stories 🍿 pic.twitter.com/JQDhT1jOEm

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) July 26, 2024

Watt's 2022 season was his best on the field for a few years prior. He played his final two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals after starting the first 10 years of his career with the Houston Texans. He was added to the Texans Ring of Honor after his retirement.