Texans Coach Lovie Smith Reflects On J.J. Watt's Career: 'It’s Pretty Special'

Following the announcement of his retirement, Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith took a moment to reflect on the Hall of Fame career of J.J. Watt.

HOUSTON — Houston Texans legend J.J. Watt announced his retirement from the NFL Tuesday morning via social media. He will conclude his career on Jan 8., when the Arizona Cardinals end the 2022 season against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium.

Watt, a perennial first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, played 12 seasons in the NFL. He established himself as one of the top defensive linemen in history, and coach Lovie Smith understood the dilemma of game planning for Watt.

"Tough duty — he’s been a productive player this year, so you can imagine that there have been some defensive players that you have to know where they are at all times, or they’ll make you if you don’t know going in," Smith said. "I think all NFL players would like to leave the game the way he’s leaving it. 

"I’m talking about him just as a guy playing in the NFL, but for our franchise for what he’s done, it’s pretty special."

Smith said he remembered when Watt came out of the University of Wisconsin in 2011 and described his pro-career as unbelievable. 

He coached against Watt with the Chicago Bears (2012) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2014) and lost both games. Watt recorded a combined seven tackles and four quarterback hits. 

Each season Smith coached against Watt came in two of his three Defensive Player of the Year honors. 

Smith said he wished he had an opportunity to coach Watt at any point throughout his career. When Smith joined the Texans as the defensive coordinator in March of 2021, Watt had already departed Houston to sign with the Cardinals.

"It’s just one thing to play hard every down, but the production that he’s had," Smith said. "Just an unbelievable career. I’m sure there are no regrets that he has. Not many have done it the way he did."

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