JJ Watt shares interesting quote on his retirement

Jan 4, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) warms up before the AFC Wild Card NFL Playoff game against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

JJ Watt on Sunday played the final game of his NFL career, and he shared an interesting quote about his retirement.

The defensive end had two sacks and three tackles for a loss in his Arizona Cardinals’ 38-13 Week 18 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers. After his strong performance, Watt said that his ability to perform on the field is not the reason he is stepping away. Rather, he is choosing to no longer play.

J.J. Watt on his retirement after a two-sack finale:

"I know I still can. I'm just choosing not to."

— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) January 9, 2023

Watt recently got married and became a parent. The 33-year-old is a likely lock for the Hall of Fame. He has battled numerous injuries the second half of his career, though he played 16 games this season and had 12.5 sacks.

Watt has little left to prove as a player and probably just wants to be a family man now. Given his ability to perform, don’t be surprised if you hear rumors over the next year or two about teams trying to convince Watt to come out of retirement.