CNN
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Arizona Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt, one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, is set to retire after the 2022 season. announced on tuesday.
Watt, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, played his “last ever” home game on Sunday in a 19-16 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“My heart is just filled with love and gratitude,” Watt wrote on Twitter. “It was an absolute honor and a pleasure.”
Arizona’s two remaining games of the season are Sunday with the Atlanta Falcons and January 8 with the San Francisco 49ers.
Known as a dominant pass rusher, Watt is likely to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is eligible in 2028.
Three-time 33-year-old Defensive Player of the Year, tied with Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor for the most in league history rice field.
A seven-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, he was selected 11th overall by the Houston Texans in the 2011 NFL Draft and played his first 10 seasons, according to the NFL. He holds the Texans franchise record with 101 career sacks.
In March 2021, he signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals as a free agent. CNN reached out to the Cardinals for comment.
Watt is famous for his work off the field.
After Hurricane Harvey devastated the Houston area and the rest of the Gulf Coast in August 2017, Watt embarked on the most defining philanthropic endeavor of his career to date.
Through a YouCaring campaign and lots of social media attention and the support of famous friends, Watt has raised over $37 million for flood victims and damage left by Harvey. His funding earned him his 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award. This award honors the charitable and volunteer efforts of NFL players.
Watt has two brothers, TJ and Derek, who play for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL. The three Watt brothers played college football at the University of Wisconsin.
JJ Watt revealed in a social media post earlier this season that he had been treated for atrial fibrillation. This is an arrhythmia that many patients describe as a “trembling”, “flutter” or “flip-flop” of the heart.
