Houston Texans Legend Earns Major Recognition As One Of Top Athletes Of The 2000s

The former Houston Texans superstar made an impact that was recognized highly amongst his peers.

Oct 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Former Houston Texans JJ Watt speaks to the fans during his Ring Of Honor Ceremony at halftime during the game between the Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports / Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

There has been generational athletes in every sport since the new century rolled over. Who are among the best, though? With domination from athletes like Serena Williams, Tom Brady and LeBron James in their respective sports, that's a difficult question to answer.

ESPN took a stab at it, though, ranking the top 100 professional athletes since the year 2000, which had some surprising results. The Houston Texans were included on the list as former superstar JJ Watt was slotted at No. 58.

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"Watt won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards in his career, but his most dominant season came in 2014. 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 that season, and he had three offensive touchdowns," ESPN's Sarah Barshop wrote. "He won his second NFL Defensive Player of the Year award that season and finished second to quarterback Aaron Rodgers in MVP voting. Watt received 13 of 50 MVP votes that season, the most by a defender since Lawrence Taylor won the award in 1986."

Watt was an absolute beast as a Texan. Having spent ten years in Houston, he he played and started in 128 games, totaling 531 tackles, 172 tackles for loss, 282 QB hits and 101 sacks. He was nothing short of elite and is a Texans legend.

In 2014 -- Watt's fourth season in the NFL and with the Texans -- the superstar was the runner-up for the MVP award while securing his second Defensive Player of the Year award. In 2012, he had a career-high 20.5 sacks in a season, which led to his first Defensive Player of the Year award.

Needless to say, Watt was purely dominant in a Texans jersey, and he retired at the peak of his game after two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.

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