Following an overtime loss at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Christmas Day, Arizona Cardinals DE JJ Watt posted on Twitter a picture of him, his wife, and his son Koa on the sidelines of State Farm Stadium. In the caption, Watt wrote, "Koa’s first ever NFL game.
My last ever NFL home game. My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure."
Through 14 games, Watt has 1 forced fumble, 33 combined tackles, and 9.5 sacks, his best sack total since his All-Pro 2018 season where he had 16.0. Per Pro Football Journal, with two games remaining in 2022, Watt could finish with the most single-season sacks by a defensive end in his final year, currently tied with Jack Youngblood's 9.5 sack season in 1984.
Watt was drafted 11th overall in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft to the Houston Texans. In his 12-season career played with the Texans and Cardinals, Watt is a 6-time Pro Bowler and 5-time All-Pro. He has won 3 Defensive Player of the Year awards, in 2012, 2014, and 2015 respectively. Watt also placed 2nd in the NFL's MVP voting in the 2014 season. Watt ranks 4th in sacks since being drafted in 2011, according to ESPN, with Chandler Jones, Von Miller, and Cameron Jordan being the only players to beat him out. Watt is the franchise leader in sacks, with 101, for the Houston Texans. Watt is regarded as one of the greatest defensive ends of all time, and many ask where his legacy would be if it weren't for frequent injuries following his string of All-Pro seasons.
Pictured above: Watt celebrates a sack (picture from Fox News)
Outside of football, despite being a feared player on the field, Watt is notable for his charity. Watt founded the Justin J Watt Foundation in 2010, which provides for after-school opportunities for children, helping them safely get involved in athletics. Watt was nominated for the NFL's Salute to Service award in 2014, which honors a player, coach, or owner that works in supporting the United States' servicemen and women. As Hurricane Harvey ravaged over Houston, TX, in the late summer of 2017, Watt raised around $37 million to help in recovery and relief efforts for the Houston area. For this, Watt received the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year award, which honors a player's commitment to community efforts and charity.
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