JG Watt, Arizona Cardinals defensive end, is due to retire after this season

CNN
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Arizona Cardinals defensive end GG Wattone of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, will retire after the 2022 season announce Tuesday.

Three-time NFL Player of the Year Watt said he played his “last game ever” at home last Sunday, a 19-16 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“My heart can only be filled with love and gratitude,” Watt wrote on Twitter. “It was an absolute honor and pleasure.”

Arizona’s remaining two games of the season are on the road — at the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and at the San Francisco 49ers on January 8.

Known as a dominant rusher, Watt is likely destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, for which he will be eligible in 2028.

The 33-year-old was named Defensive Player of the Year three times and is tied for the most all-time in league history with Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and New York Giants’ Lawrence Taylor.

A five-time and five-time All Pro selection, according to the NFL, he was selected with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans playing his first 10 seasons. He owns the Texas franchise record for most career sacks with 101.

In March 2021, he signed a two-year contract with the Cardinals as a free agent. CNN has reached out to the Cardinals for comment.

Watt is known for his work off the field.

After Hurricane Harvey devastated areas around Houston and the rest of the Gulf Coast in August 2017, Watt embarked on his most career-defining philanthropic effort to date.

Through a YouCaring campaign, lots of social media attention, and the help of some famous friends, Watt has raised over $37 million for the flood victims and the damage Harvey left behind. Because of the fundraising, he was awarded the 2017 Award Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Awardwhich is given to honor the charitable and volunteer efforts of NFL players.

Watt has two brothers, TJ and Derek, who play in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. All three Watt brothers played college football at the University of Wisconsin.

JJ Watt revealed in a social media post earlier this season that he He underwent treatment for atrial fibrillation Arrhythmias described by many patients as a ‘quivering’, ‘fluttering’ or ‘flipping’ of the heart.