Former Houston Texans Superstar Ranked Top 25 NFL Player Since 2000

The Texans superstar was incredibly elite during his NFL career.

Kade Kimble | Jul 26, 2024

Jun 11, 2019; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt (99) talks to the media during a press conference in the media room at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports / Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

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The NFL offseason is over with training camp in session, but players aren't quite ready to hit the gridiron for official games. The Hall of Fame Game is less than a week away, so there's still time to churn out offseason content. So, what better time to look at the top 25 NFL players since 2000?

ESPN came together to list the top 25 players since the year 2000, which happened to include a former Houston Texans superstar.

None other than star defensive lineman J.J. Watt was listed as the No. 7 NFL player in that time frame, which is an incredible honor for the former Texan. ESPN broke down his accomplishments, which was quite a long list.

"Five-time Pro Bowler, five-time first-team All-Pro, three-time Defensive POY (tied for most all time), HOF All-2010s Team, the only player with 20-plus sacks in multiple seasons," ESPN wrote.

Watt's NFL career was nothing short of dominant, and he retired while still in peak playing shape. Evidently, Watt still looks game-ready -- and he's even slipped the idea to Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans that he'd stay ready in case a call came his way out of desperation.

"Watt won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards in his career, but his most dominant season came in 2014," ESPN's Sarah Barshop wrote. "He had 20.5 sacks, the second time he'd done that in his career, as well as 59 solo tackles, 29 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown. Watt had another defensive touchdown and three offensive touchdowns. He won his second NFL Defensive POY award and finished second to quarterback Aaron Rodgers in MVP voting. Watt received 13 of 50 MVP votes, the most for a defensive player since Lawrence Taylor won the award in 1986."

The elite NFL player spent 10 seasons with the Texans before playing two years with the Arizona Cardinals before retiring. Watt will forever be known as a Texans legend as he continues his post-playing career in the broadcast booth -- though a potential call-up to help the team in Super Bowl contention late in the 2024 NFL season would please fans in a big way.

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