Justin James Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, for the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the Central Michigan Chippewas and Wisconsin Badgers and was selected by the Texans in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft.
Watt received the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times in his first five seasons. Watt's position was primarily defensive end. He also took snaps on offense, catching three touchdown passes in 2014. Watt holds the Texans franchise records for sacks and forced fumbles. In 2017, Sports Illustrated named him its Sportsman of the Year. Watt is regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history.
After retiring in 2022, Watt joined CBS Sports, working initially as a studio analyst on The NFL Today and then joining Ian Eagle on the network's #2 game announcing team in 2025. Watt is the older brother of Derek Watt and T. J. Watt.
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Early life
Watt was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, to parents Connie, a building operations vice president, and John, a firefighter. Both of his younger brothers also went on to play in the NFL. Derek Watt was 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 the 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. Watt earned the Woodland Conference Player of the Year Award as a senior, 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 recorded 26 receptions for 399 yards and five touchdowns.
Watt followed in his father's footsteps and competed in the shot put during his senior season, earning first-team All-state selection. Watt captured the state title in the shot put at the 2007 WIAA Division II Championship, setting a new school record with a throw of 59 ft, 11.5 in (18.28 meters).
Regarded as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Watt was ranked among neither the top tight end nor the top defensive end prospects in his class. After official visits to Central Michigan, Colorado, and Minnesota, Watt chose to play at Central Michigan under coach Butch Jones.
College career
Central Michigan
Watt received a scholarship offer from Central Michigan University. He has stated that he was led to believe by Butch Jones that, as a tight end, he would have the opportunity to score touchdowns. He played 14 games with the Chippewas, compiling 77 receiving yards and 8 receptions. Watt's coaches, led by Jones, suggested that he move to offensive tackle, but Watt decided to forgo his starting spot and scholarship to walk-on the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he played as a defensive end.
Wisconsin
At the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Watt redshirted the 2008 season and was named Wisconsin's Scout Team Player of the Year. In 2009, he played in 13 games as a defensive end for the Badgers. In a game against the Hawaii Warriors on December 5, Watt had a career-high of two sacks, three tackles for loss, six tackles, and one quarterback hurry. Watt finished the season with 32 solo tackles, 12 assisted tackles, four and a half sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss, and five passes defended. He also earned his first letter. On November 20, 2010, against the Michigan Wolverines, he recorded his first collegiate interception. Overall, in the 2010 season, Watt played in 13 games and led the team in tackles for loss, quarterback hurries, blocked kicks, and forced fumbles. He finished the season with 42 solo tackles, 20 assisted tackles, 21 tackles for loss, seven sacks, one interception for 15 yards, nine passes defended, and three fumbles forced. He earned the Lott Trophy in 2010, voted AP and Sports Illustrated second-team All-American, All-Big Ten first-team, academic All-Big Ten, and was voted the team's MVP.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Watt skipped his senior season, entering the 2011 NFL draft. At the 2011 NFL Combine, he was a top performer in all combine categories except the 40-yard dash.
Houston Texans
On April 28, 2011, he was the first defensive end selected in the first round when the Houston Texans picked him as the 11th overall pick. The Texans signed Watt to a four-year, $11.24 million contract on July 31, 2011.
In the 2011 season, Watt started all 16 games. During the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, he had five tackles and a fumble recovery in his NFL debut. On November 27, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Watt had his first multi-sack game with 2.0 in the 20–13 victory. Watt finished his rookie year with 48 solo tackles, eight assisted tackles, and 5.5 sacks. The Texans qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
In the playoffs, Watt recorded 11 solo tackles, three assisted tackles, an interception returned for a touchdown, one pass defended, and 3.5 sacks in two games against the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card Round and the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round. Watt was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and the USA Today All-Joe Team, and was named Texans Team Rookie of the Year.
In 2012, Watt is considered to have had one of the best seasons for a defensive player in NFL history. He finished the season with 69 solo tackles, 12 assisted tackles, 20.5 sacks, 16 passes defended, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his Week 2 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month in both September and December. On November 22, 2012, in a game against the Detroit Lions, Watt recorded three sacks, to give him a total of 14.5, breaking the Texans' record for sacks in a season, which was previously held by Mario Williams. On December 16, against the Indianapolis Colts, Watt recorded three sacks and ten total tackles in a 29–17 victory. The Texans made the playoffs again in 2012, and Watt recorded six solo tackles, three assisted tackles, two passes defended, and two sacks in two games. Watt finished the season 2.5 sacks shy of Michael Strahan's single-season record for sacks, set in 2001. Watt was named to the 2013 NFL Pro-Bowl Team on December 26, 2012. Watt also was named Texans Team Most Valuable Player, USA Football Fundamentals Team, PFW First-team All-Pro, Pro Football Weekly/PFWA Most Valuable Player, Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year, NFL 101 AFC Defensive Player of the Year, AP First-team All-Pro, and the AP Defensive Player of the Year. Watt received 49 out of 50 votes for the Defensive Player of the Year award. He is the first Texans player to receive an NFL Player of the Year award. Watt was the 17th defensive lineman and only the eighth defensive end to receive the award since 1971. Watt made the highest debut on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013, coming in at number five.
Arizona Cardinals
On March 1, 2021, Watt signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, with $23 million guaranteed. Although #99 was retired by the Cardinals in honor of Marshall Goldberg, Goldberg's daughter, Ellen, gave Watt permission to wear it. In Week 7 against his former team, Watt suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter, but remained in the game. On October 27, it was revealed Watt would need season-ending shoulder surgery. He was placed on injured reserve on November 6, 2021. He was activated on January 17, 2022, for the Cardinals' Wild Card Round loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Despite experiencing atrial fibrillation on September 28, 2022, and having his heart shocked back in rhythm in a planned procedure the next day, Watt committed to play in Week 4. Watt announced on December 27 that he would retire at the end of the season. In his final game against the San Francisco 49ers, Watt recorded two sacks in the 38–13 road loss.
Watt finished his final season with 39 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, and a forced fumble in 16 games and starts.
Career statistics
Career highlights
Awards and honors
NFL
5× Pro Bowl (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018)
Pro Bowl Defensive MVP (2014)
5× First-team All-Pro (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018)
3× Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2014, 2015)
3× Pro Football Writers Association NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2014, 2015)
3× Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2014, 2015)
3× Pro Football Focus Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2013, 2014)
3× Pro Football Focus Best Player of the Year (2012, 2013, 2014)
4× 101 Awards - AFC Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2014, 2015, 2018)
2× NFL sacks leader (2012, 2015)
AP NFL MVP runner-up (2014)
Bert Bell Award (2014)
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2017)
100 sacks club
Ranked No. 5 in the Top 100 Players of 2013
Ranked No. 12 in the Top 100 Players of 2014
Ranked No. 1 in the Top 100 Players of 2015
Ranked No. 3 in the Top 100 Players of 2016
Houston Texans franchise records
Career sacks (101.0)
Career forced (25) and recovered fumbles (16)
Personal life
While an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Watt delivered pizzas for a Pewaukee Pizza Hut.
On July 22, 2015, Watt was named the vice president of Power Relations for Reliant. Reliant is a retail electric provider in Texas, also a subsidiary of NRG Energy Inc.
On February 15, 2018, Baylor College of Medicine announced that Watt would receive an honorary degree from their medical school. On May 29, 2018, he received the degree of Doctor of Humanities in Medicine.
Watt is the older brother of former fullback Derek Watt and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T. J. Watt, both of whom were teammates in Pittsburgh from 2020 to 2022.
In 2016, Watt began a relationship with professional soccer player Kealia Ohai. In 2019, they got engaged, and they were married on February 15, 2020, in the Bahamas. In October 2022, the couple had a son. Their second son was born in June 2025.
Watt was named the Grand Marshal of the 2019 Daytona 500. On February 1, 2020, Watt hosted Saturday Night Live.
In 2020, Watt and his brothers began hosting the Fox game show Ultimate Tag.
Watt is a fan of Chelsea F.C., but on May 1, 2023, Watt and his wife were announced as new minority investors in Burnley F.C., which earned promotion from the EFL Championship to the Premier League for the 2023–24 season. He participated as a guest player for Burnley in The Soccer Tournament in 2024. He has also designed the 2026/27 season away jersey.
Ice hockey
Watt is an avid ice hockey fan. He played hockey from age four until he was 13 years old, traveling as far as Canada and Germany for tournaments. Watt said that he played "primarily as a center and was a goal scorer." Because of the financial cost of the sport and making a choice between hockey and football, Watt stopped playing hockey to focus on football. Without a hometown National Hockey League team in his state, Watt grew up cheering for both the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings, while his favorite active player was Zdeno Chara for his large stature (like Watt's) and physical style of play. His favorite ever athlete is hockey great Gordie Howe. Since retiring from the NFL, Watt frequently comments on NHL affairs and has played in a recreational hockey league.
Health
On October 2, 2022, Watt tweeted that he had gone into atrial fibrillation on September 28, 2022, and had to have his heart shocked back in rhythm the next day. Watt further stated that he was revealing the information himself because it was about to be leaked.
Philanthropy
Watt is the president and founder of the Justin J. Watt Foundation, a charity organization that provides after-school opportunities for children in various communities, for them to get involved in athletics in a safe environment. The foundation's motto, "Dream Big, Work Hard" is sold on wristbands and T-shirts. Since this foundation was launched in 2010, Watt has raised over $1 million. While most of the schools that benefit from the fundraising are in Texas and Wisconsin, schools in Alabama, Illinois, and California have also received donations. Watt's mother Connie is the vice president of the organization. Watt and the J. J. Watt Foundation host a Charity Classic, Run/Walk, Golf Outing, and Tailgate annually. The Charity Classic is a softball game held at Constellation Field, in Sugar Land, Texas, in which Texans players participate in a game, and Home Run Derby to raise money for the foundation. The inaugural Charity Classic game was in 2013, and the 2014 Charity Classic raised over $436,433 towards his foundation. On August 26, 2014, Watt received the Texans Spirit of the Bull Community Award. On November 14, 2014, Watt was nominated for the NFL's Salute to Service Award that honors either a coach, player, or owner for their efforts in supporting the country's servicemen and women. Due to the extremely good turnout in 2014, the annual Charity Classic has been moved to Minute Maid Park, home of the Houston Astros. The 2015 event raised over $640,000. For the 2017 game, Watt invited Arnold Schwarzenegger and swimmer Simone Manuel, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and native of Houston.
Watt is also known for his interactions with children. On July 2, 2011, the Berry family was traveling home from a vacation in Colorado Springs. The parents, Joshua and Robin Berry, were killed in a head-on collision, and their two sons, Peter and Aaron, were left handicapped. Their daughter, Willa, suffered minor injuries. Watt met the children at a fundraiser and grew close to them. He played wheelchair basketball with them and mimed rolling a wheelchair after sacking a quarterback in a 2012 game. The mime was an agreed-upon signal between the Berry children and Watt as a post-sack celebration.
Following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, Watt found out that some of the affected families were in the Houston area. He invited them out on the field to hang out and throw the football. Watt then proceeded to give them signed merchandise that he had worn in previous games. In October 2015, Watt dressed up as Batman to surprise kids at the Texas Children's Hospital for a Halloween party.
Broadcasting career
On July 30, 2025, CBS announced that Watt would be on the network's No. 2 team to cover NFL games, alongside Ian Eagle and Evan Washburn. On July 31, 2026, he was tapped as a replacement for Tony Romo on the lead coverage team, after Romo's suspension earlier that month following his arrest for operating while under the influence (OWI).