J.J. Watt Announces His Retirement From the NFL, Has Made Millions

Quarterbacks throughout the National Football League (NFL) can rest easy after powerhouse defensive lineman J.J. Watt announced that he is retiring at the end of the season.

Watt currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals, but he spent most of his NFL career with the Houston Texans. In October, he and his wife, professional soccer player Kealia Ohai, welcomed their first child, son Koa.

"Koa's first-ever NFL game. My last ever NFL home game. My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It's been an absolute honor and a pleasure," Watt tweeted on Dec. 27 with pictures of him and his family at the Dec. 25 game between the Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What's J.J. Watt's net worth after such as successful NFL career?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Watt has amassed a net worth of $50 million throughout his 12-year NFL career. His annual salary alone is $16 million.

Watt is considered one of the greatest defensive linemen of all time. In his first five seasons with the NFL, he was named Defensive Player of the Year three times in 2012, 2014, and 2015.

Watt ranks fourth in the list of the top five NFL players with the most sacks since 2011 and 26th on the NFL’s career list, which has been tracked since 1982, ESPN reports. When he played with the Texans, he made a record of 101 sacks, the most ever for a player with the franchise, ESPN reports.

Born and raised in Pewaukee, Wis., Watt started playing football in fifth grade. He also played hockey until it began to conflict with his football schedule. Watt lettered in football for all four of his high school years and was also named the team’s MVP.

His skills on the field during high school earned him a scholarship to Central Michigan University. But after just a year, Watt gave up his scholarship to return to his home state as a walk-on for the University of Wisconsin Badgers.

In a 2010 interview, Watt said leaving CMU and giving up his scholarship was one of the toughest decisions he ever had to make.

“But leaving it all behind was a risk I was willing to take. I am trying to be the best defensive end in the country, and I thought Wisconsin was a place I could achieve that,” Watt said.

The move to become a Badger paid off. In 2010, three years after Watt joined the team, he was voted team MVP, Sports Illustrated second-team All-American, All-Big Ten first-team, and academic All-Big Ten. He also received the Ronnie Lott IMPACT Trophy, which honors the best defensive players in college football.

Watt decided to forgo his senior year at Wisconsin and entered the 2011 NFL Draft. The Texans selected him in the first round, and he signed a four-year, $11.24 million contract with the team. He was with the Texans for nine years. In 2021, Watt signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Cardinals.

J.J. Watt isn’t the only one in his family to make a career in the NFL. His younger brothers Derek and T.J. also played football for the Wisconsin Badgers and now have NFL careers. Derek, a fullback, and T.J., a linebacker, both play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.