JJ Watt reveals what he will do if an NFL team calls him this season
Former Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt has left the door open ever so slightly to return to the game since his retirement. He has yet to file his paperwork with the league, however, it’s highly unlikely he’ll ever suit up again.
Asked on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast whether he is really, truly, retired, Watt said yes. NFL teams may come calling, but the former Texans captain says he isn’t staying in playing shape for some hypothetical.
“You guys know this, I am not training to play NFL football, so like, you can call all you want, but I’m going to show up and you want me to play, I’m doing vanity workouts right now,” Watt said. “I’m not going to go bull-rush Trent Williams right now.”
As the former league defensive MVP, Watt is one of the few former players who could still go one-on-one with the best even without strenuous preparation, but he told Long it would take a ridiculous amount of money to get him in a uniform again.
“If they want to throw out $20 million for one game, I’ll show up, no problem,” Watt said. “I’ll shoot it out for one game, 20 minutes.”
During his NFL career, Watt totaled 586 tackles, 114.5 sacks, two interceptions and three touchdowns. Although injuries became a problem the last couple of years, he finished his career on a bounce-back year, with 39 tackles and 12.5 sacks.
Watt in talks with networks for broadcasting job
Watt is now retired, but he’s not leaving the game for good.
According to New York Post reporter Andrew Marchand, Watt has several networks offering him deals to participate in various broadcasts. However, it’s reportedly unlikely that the new dad commits to a role that amounts to a full-time gig.
NBC, CBS and NFL Network are the three major networks interested in Watt’s talents, and according to Marchand, CBS is the favorite.
A report from Awful Announcing last month revealed that NBC had Watt in mind for a role broadcasting a Big Ten road show, as well as Sunday Night Football coverage.
The former NFL defensive MVP has shown signs of wanting to stay active in the media space since announcing his retirement last season. He recently took suggestions from fans about what topics they’d have interest in him discussing on a potential podcast.
While Tom Brady is stepping into a full-time broadcasting role with FOX next season, Watt is more likely to take on a job that more similarly resembles Peyton or Eli Manning‘s with ESPN.