After 12 seasons, pass rusher JJ Watt called it quits after this past season at age 33.
He spent most of his career with the Houston Texans, but he also suited up for the Arizona Cardinals during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, and he retired with quite an impressive resume.
He had three Defensive Player of the Year awards and five Pro Bowl and All-Pro first-team nods to his name, as well as career totals of 114.5 sacks, 317 quarterback hits, and 195 tackles for loss.
The newly-retired Watt took to Twitter to practice gratitude and thank all of his fans for supporting him throughout the years.
Might be the frozen cocktails making me talkative, but there’s never a bad time for some gratitude.
I am forever grateful to every NFL fan who has ever bought a ticket, purchased a jersey or tuned in to a game on TV.
I’m fully aware this life I’m fortunate enough to live with… pic.twitter.com/73CNTR4lik
—JJ Watt (@JJWatt) April 3, 2023
Many people may feel his younger brother, TJ Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is the most prolific pass rusher, but JJ Watt has certainly made a name for himself in his own right.
He led the NFL in sacks twice and tackles for loss three times, and right after the Texans took him with the 11th pick in the 2011 draft, he helped turn the fledgling franchise into a winner.
The Texans made the playoffs for the first time in his rookie season, and they reached the postseason six times in all during his 10 seasons with them while finishing first in the AFC South each time they qualified for the playoffs.
In 2021, his first season in Arizona, he took his new team to the playoffs after helping it win 11 games in the regular season.
Watt will now await his nomination for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, something which seems likely to come not too long from now.
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