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Cardinals Defensive Lineman JJ Watt Announces Retirement After 12 Seasons

Damon Ellison – JJ Watt has a reputation for being one of the best Defensive players in the NFL. Today the tough guy announced he will be hanging up the cleats to pursue life after football. Injuries have hampered the former Defensive Player Of the year. And the end of the Cardinal’s regular season will be his finale.

“Koa’s first ever NFL game,” Watt said of his two-month-old son, Koa James Watt. “My last ever NFL home game.”

He continued, “My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure.”

Watt is in his second season with the Cardinals following a 10-year career with the Houston Texans.

The former Wisconsin standout was a first-round pick in 2011 and was dominant from 2012 to 2015, finishing that four-year stretch with 69 sacks to earn all three of his AP Defensive Player of the Year awards.