J. J. Watt

Justin James Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American former professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Houston Texans. He played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas and Wisconsin Badgers and was selected by the Texans in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft.

Watt received the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times in his first five seasons. Watt's position was primarily defensive end. He also took snaps on offense, catching three touchdown passes in 2014. He holds the Texans' franchise records for sacks and forced fumbles. In 2017, Sports Illustrated named Watt its Sportsman of the Year. Watt is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history.

After retiring in 2022, he joined CBS Sports, working initially as a studio analyst on The NFL Today and then joining Ian Eagle on the network's #2 game announcing team in 2025.

He is the older brother of T. J. Watt and Derek Watt.

Early life

Watt was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, to parents Connie, a building operations vice president, and John, a firefighter. Both of J.J.'s younger brothers also went on to play in the NFL. Derek Watt was a fullback and T. J. Watt plays outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Watt played ice hockey from age four to 13 and played for travel or competitive teams that traveled to Canada and Germany. He gave up hockey when weekly games started to conflict with his schedule and for financial reasons. Watt also played football throughout his childhood and became passionate about the sport while he was in fifth grade.