J.J. Watt has retired from playing football, but it might be a stretch to say he’s retired from football.
On Thursday, it was announced that the former Texan and Cardinal had signed a multi-year deal with CBS Sports to serve as an NFL studio analyst.
“We are thrilled to welcome J.J. to the CBS Sports family and add one of the greatest defensive players of all time to our team,” CBS Sports President David Berson said. “As he steps off the field after a Hall of Fame career, J.J. brings deep passion, unique insights and opinions from today’s NFL. We think fans will love what J.J. brings to our coverage.”
Watt also released a statement saying his “love” for the game compelled him to still want to be a part of it.
“I love the game too much to be away from it entirely. I’m very excited to be joining CBS Sports to contribute across all their NFL shows and platforms, including working alongside and learning from JB, Coach, Boomer, Phil and Nate this fall,” said Watt. “Hopefully fans will enjoy the insights and knowledge I’ve gained over my 12 years in the NFL and if we’re lucky, we’ll share a few laughs along the way as well.”
The former three-time Defensive Player of the Year also posted a video to Twitter expressing his excitement about the new opportunity.
Sorry, sorry…
C “B” S.
Very excited to be joining the crew for a few Sunday’s this fall!! @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/TrF6PEzGAy
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) June 29, 2023
The Houston Texans selected Watt with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played 12 NFL seasons, the first ten in Houston and the final two with the Arizona Cardinals. Injuries slowed Watt’s production down in the second half of his career. However, he put up all-time numbers early in his career. Watt recorded 20.5 sacks in 2012 and 2014 and 17.5 sacks in 2015.
He finished his career with 114.5 sacks, ranking 24th all-time, according to CBS Sports.