J. J. Watt

Justin James Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Houston Texans. He played college football at Central Michigan and Wisconsin and was selected by the Texans in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Considered to be one of the greatest defensive linemen of all time, Watt received the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times in his first five seasons. Although primarily a defensive end, he occasionally shifted to defensive tackle. He also took snaps on offense, catching three touchdown passes during the 2014 season. He holds the Texans' franchise records for sacks and forced fumbles. In 2017, Sports Illustrated named Watt its Sportsman of the Year. After retiring in 2023, he joined The NFL Today as a studio analyst. 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 play in the NFL. Derek Watt is 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. Watt attended Pewaukee High School, where he was a four-year letter-winner in football and also lettered in basketball, baseball, and track and field. He earned the Woodland Conference Player of the Year Award his senior year, and first-team All-State, All-County, All-Area, and All-Conference selections as tight end and defensive end. He was also named the team's MVP. During his senior year, Watt accumulated a total of 399 receiving yards, 26 catches, and 5 touchdowns.