TEMPE, Arizona. — Arizona Cardinals defensive lineman JJ Watt He wasn’t sure he was going to tell the world he was retiring until he hit “tweet” on Tuesday morning.
The future first-round Hall of Famer had known for a while that this would be his last season, Watt said during a press conference Wednesday that lasted more than 16 minutes. He had been telling people around the Cardinals building about it for “a long time”, but said he didn’t think many believed him. And for those who did, they tried to talk to him about it.
After seeing photos of his wife, Kealia, and 2-month-old son, Koa, on the field with him after Sunday night’s game, Watt said he knew it would be the the perfect time to announce that he was leaving after 12 seasons.
“I was very lucky. I was extremely lucky,” Watt said. “I’ve been playing this game since I was 10, and it’s been an amazing run. What if you told me back then when I started that I could play 12 years in the National Football League and meet the people I’ve met and done some of the things I’ve done and lived the life I’m living, I would have been extremely grateful and probably would have told you that you were a crazy mom.”
Ultimately, Watt said he felt this season was the right time to retire.
Watt cited the birth of her first child as one of the contributing factors to her decision. So did Watt’s episode of atrial fibrillation that caused him to reset his own heart’s rhythm in late September.
His last home game on Sunday night coincided with his son’s first home game.
Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said the team didn’t know Watt was going to announce his retirement on Tuesday.
There was a sense of appreciation for Watt at training on Wednesday, Kingsbury said: “For the time we have to spend with him and watch what he talks about, how he works [and] just the relentless pursuit of excellence every day he shows up in this building.
Watt added that he was “very” at peace with his retirement.
“I’ve invested so much in the game,” he said. “The wins, the losses, the mental stress and the passion that comes with it. It weighs on you. It’s heavy. I mean, it’s really heavy. Losses are very hard to take. You live with ups and downs. And I’ve always said that I’d rather live with ups and downs than never know the middle.
Watt will retire without a Super Bowl ring, a fact that has been used to weigh him down.
“It’s definitely something I’ve struggled with trying to put my career in perspective because there’s definitely a big part of me that will always be sad and disappointed and frustrated that I can never win a championship,” Watt said. “It was heavy for me for a very long time.”
He eventually changed his outlook on his career.
“Then I was also given a perspective at one point to say, ‘Look back and think about if you were a kid, what you accomplished and if you would be proud of it, and if you would be grateful for it'” said Watt. And that’s why I say I’m leaving with nothing but love and gratitude. Did I win a championship? No. But I literally lived a dream that millions of people would kill for. I have a job that everyone would like. I literally do things that I never thought I could do in my wildest dreams. So I may not have a trophy, but I’m fine, and I’m extremely grateful.
Watt said he doesn’t know what’s next after this season, but he won’t regret retiring as he continues to play good football. Having “a good movie” to show Koa at some point helped Watt come to terms with this reality.
“I would much rather play good football knowing that I can still play and knowing that I hope people remember me playing good football than limping out and being sent off and knowing that I probably should have done it sooner,” she said. Watt, who is half a sack away from his first double-digit sack season since 2018, despite having been double-teamed on 37% of his pass rushes this season – the highest rate of defenders in edge in the NFL.
He wants to spend more time with his wife and son, but he doesn’t know if they will stay in Arizona or return to Wisconsin or Houston. Watt didn’t go through all the messages on his phone, but he was sure a network approached him about becoming an analyst.
“I’m young,” Watt said. “I don’t want it to go to waste. I’m 33. I feel young. I have a whole life ahead of me and I feel good. My body feels good. I’m really just looking ahead, whatever.
Strategist Colt McCoy said he found out about Watt’s impending retirement as they ate breakfast on Wednesday morning. The catch: Watt said McCoy had known about it for a while and that the “Wednesday breakfast” could have happened months ago.
“I told Colt a long time ago,” Watt said. “That’s a good boy from Texas right there.”
After announcing his retirement, Watt hung up his phone. He knew what was next.
After he and his wife took their son to the pediatrician, Watt checked his phone to see how things were going. A number he didn’t recognize tried to call him FaceTime, but Watt ignored him. Then came an incoherent voice memo texted from the same number.
Finally, a selfie of a rookie linebacker Jesse Luketa appeared with his cheeks stuffed with cotton after having his wisdom teeth removed.
Right after Luketa woke up from anesthesia, she was told that Watt had retired. His first instinct was to FaceTime the NFL’s three-time Defensive Player of the Year. When that didn’t work, Luketa, still under the influence of the sedative, sent a voice memo saying, “I just heard you’re retiring. All I want is a jersey at the end of the season.”
Four hours later, Luketa texted Watt to apologize – but asked for the shirt anyway – and all Watt could do was laugh.
“He gets the jersey,” Watt said. “I said to him, ‘You have the jersey. You made my day. You won all day.'”
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