J.J. Watt put on an NFL uniform for the last time of his career in the Cardinals’ season-ending loss Sunday against the 49ers.
Before closing the curtains of his noteworthy career, the five-time Pro Bowler was honored pregame by his brothers, T.J. and Derek, while wearing a special pair of custom-made cleats for his final game.
Watt logged two sacks, five tackles (three for a loss) and a pass deflection, and took an emotional walk off the field at Levi’s Stadium with 2 minutes left. However, the one tribute that left the 33-year-old fighting back tears came from his brothers, his wife, Kealia, and a host of current and former NFL players he battled over his 12-year career.
HBO’s Hard Knocks in Season featuring the Cardinals teased a trailer for Wednesday’s episode, showing Arizona defensive line coach Matt Burke leading the charge of preparing a video of reflections from Watt’s family members and Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Dak Prescott.
“I just want to say congratulations on retirement,” T.J. said in the video. “You and your resiliency throughout all of these ups and downs, you ending up in the NFL and you being a DPOY and you having all the success that you had showed me that it was possible.”
While Rodgers and Manning kept their reflections brief, Brady’s expression included a joke for the dominant pass rusher. “Man, you were a pain in my ass for a long time. It was an honor to share the field with you,” Brady said.
His parents, John and Connie, along with his NWSL star wife, shared heartfelt tributes to Watt.
“I got to be a big part of it for your first journey back in the day when I was your coach,” John said. “And it has been a pleasure to watch you ever since … I’m looking forward to seeing what the future brings for you, Kealia and Koa.”
“It has been such an honor to watch you work your ass off these past years and do whatever you needed to do to be the best,” Kealia said. “You’ve always been so generous and kind and loving to everybody around you, and you never forgot who you are.”
Watt initially announced his retirement in a tweet on Dec. 27, stating his need to devote time to his life outside of football after he and Kealia had their first child in October. That was also the same month that Watt had a health scare that required him to go through treatment for a heart condition.
Watt ended his NFL career with 114.5 sacks, 586 tackles, 27 forced fumbles and 70 passes defended through 151 games. He also became the only player in league history to record two 20-sack seasons.
