JJ Watt stunned the NFL world Tuesday morning when he announced on Twitter he would be retiring at the end of this season.
That includes his own team.
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said Wednesday that the team was not aware the 33-year-old defensive end was going to be walking away from the game.
“Happy for him. He seems like he’s in a really good place. We had no idea that was coming, but what a tremendous player and person and an all-time great in this league,” Kingsbury told reporters on Wednesday. “So to see him play the way he played the other night and then hear that, I think it’s just a special time for him, the organization, the entire NFL to kind of celebrate him these last two weeks.”
Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt during a game against the Buccaneers on Dec. 28, 2022. Getty Images
While Watt did not explicitly state he was retiring, he posted photos of himself with his family, including wife Kealia and son Koa, from Sunday night’s game against the Buccaneers saying it was his “last ever NFL home game.”
Watt, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, spent his first 10 seasons with the Texans. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, five-time All-Pro and three-time Defensive Player of the Year in Houston.
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury before a game against the Buccaneers on Dec. 25, 2022. AP
He then signed with the Cardinals as a free agent in 2021. He was limited to seven games last year but has 9.5 sacks in 14 games this season, including three sacks against the Broncos on Dec. 18.
Watt played in Week 4 against the Panthers three days after having his “heart shocked back into rhythm” due to atrial fibrillation.