Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt announced his shocking retirement from the NFL a couple of days ago.
Arizona Cardinals defensive starlet J.J. Watt made the announcement on Tuesday that he will be retiring from the NFL in the coming weeks. He stated on Wednesday that he had preparations for this outcome.
Speaking about it, Watt said, “I’ve known for a little while. It’s the right time, It feels like the right time. I’ve put so much into the game and the wins and the losses, the mental stress and passion that comes with it, it just weighs on you. It’s heavy, I mean it’s really heavy.”
He added, “The losses are very tough to take. You live with the highs and the lows, and I’ve always said that I’d way rather live with the highs and the lows than never know in the middle. I’ve got a son now. Obviously, I had a heart scare in the middle of the year, so there’s certainly some of that that played into it. But I’m very happy and am very at peace with it.”
Watt has a plethora of valid reasons to retire from football, but none of them are connected to his performance on the field. This season, the 33-year-old defensive end has earned 9.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, six passes defended, and one fumble recovery.
In addition, he has six passes defended. This was no easy task for a player who relies on power and is getting close to the age of 35, but he accomplished it despite coming back from season-ending shoulder surgery in 2021.
It was reasonable to anticipate that Watt will come back in 2023 and play at a level comparable to his previous performance. Aside from the injuries he’s sustained every other year since 2017, he’s shown very few indications that he’ll be slowing down any time soon. But Watt is aware of how he wants to be remembered, and it isn’t as a washed-up former star who had his day in the spotlight.
J.J. Watt wants to enjoy life with his family
In October, Watt and his wife, Kealia Ohai Watt, became parents for the first time by welcoming their first child, a son named Koa, into the world. Last weekend, the family took Koa to his first National Football League game, which also happened to be Watt’s final home game of his career as a professional. As a consequence of this, a significant motivation behind his retirement is the desire to spend additional time with his young family.
During the course of the season, Watt experienced a health scare, which may have provided him with some necessary perspective. As a result of Watt’s bout of atrial fibrillation, which needed the medical staff to shock his heart back into rhythm, he found himself admitted to the hospital just a few weeks before the birth of his kid. In the end, he was active for that week’s game and recorded three tackles in the victory over Carolina (26-16).
Watt has recently started a family and has come to the conclusion that it is time for him to focus his attention on them rather than on football. a few weeks, Watt will announce his retirement from the National Football League after having a career that he can look back on with a great deal of satisfaction.
It will surely take him to a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and both Kealia and Koa will be able to wear a proud grin as they watch Watt’s football career come to a successful close in Canton.
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