JJ Watt forced to explain Nick Bosa joke after fans call for un-retirement
The recently retired JJ Watt had a legendary NFL career. However, he does need fans to know that his career is definitely over.
Recently, star edge rusher Nick Bosa signed a massive five-year extension worth $170 million. It’s a massive contract and Watt took notice of the deal. It was so impressive to him that he took to Twitter to comment and make a little joke about the deal.
“Just getting a chance to sit down and look at the breakdown of Bosa’s new (very well-deserved) contract,” JJ Watt wrote. “I have a little more digging to do, but I’m starting to feel comfortable saying that I would consider un-retiring if offered a similar contract. Maybe.”
This was supposed to be a funny comment about Bosa’s contract. However, a lot of Watt’s fans didn’t see it that way and began to call for him to come out of retirement. Because of that, Watt had to reply to his original joke and try to clarify.
“Not enough people are understanding the joke here and it’s concerning…” he wrote.
JJ Watt last played in the NFL last season. He retired following the year. So, it’s not like he’s too far removed from his playing days. He also had 12.5 sacks in 2022, which was eighth in the NFL for the season. So, it’s also not like Watt doesn’t still have the talent to play. At one point, he even considered joining his brother TJ Watt in Pittsburgh.
At the same time, Watt is 34 now and football becomes harder and harder to be physically ready to play each week. Overall, he seems happy in retirement. Recently, he even announced that he’s going to join CBS Sports for this NFL season.
JJ Watt on why he decided to retire
This offseason, JJ Watt explained his thought process and the decision to retire.
“You can still put in the same time and energy and effort but it’s not the singularly most important thing in your life anymore. It definitely played a factor but I wouldn’t say it wasn’t the largest. I wanted him to see me play, even though he’ll never ever remember it, I wanted to have those photos, I think it was cool to have him on the field with me for two games this year,” Watt said.
“In terms of the actual retirement, it was much more physical and mental than anything else. You guys know better than anybody how much it takes physically and mentally to prepare every season especially as you get later and later in your career… Can I still do it? Absolutely. Do I have to work significantly harder… yes. That’s the part I didn’t want to have to do anymore.”