JJ Watt applauds critic who says he ‘can’t play anymore’

Former Arizona Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt is now an NFL legend, having officially hung up his shoes and retired after the 2022 season.

Watt played 12 NFL seasons, was named to five All-Pro teams and was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

One Twitter user tried to bring Watt out of retirement recently, retouching a photo of him in a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey alongside his brothers, Derek and TJ, who are playing for the black and gold.

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Watt joked that no.»love them SO MUCHbut another Twitter user put it to the test.

«Guys he can’t play anymore due to his health, he’s doing too much in the last 10 years in the league, he’s had enough of his pain, love that he’s playing but it’s too much, father time,» @billyWimberly3 tweeted.

While it is true that Watt has had problems staying on the field in recent years (he played three, five, eight and seven games in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021, respectively), his last season was not like that.

Arizona Cardinals defensive end JJ Watt celebrates a defensive stop against the Houston Texans during the first half of an NFL game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on October 24, 2021. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Watt played in 16 of 17 games this year, and he also looked like his old self, which reminded the reviewer.

«Don’t confuse ‘choose not to’ with ‘can’t’,» he tweeted, along with lists of the season leaders in sacks and tackles for loss.

Well, his name was on those lists.

In his final season, at age 33, Watt’s 12.5 sacks were tied for eighth in the NFL, while his 18 tackles-for-loss was the fourth-best in football.

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Watt had 114.5 career sacks and 195 tackles for loss. His 12.5 sacks last season were the sixth time he’d reached double digits.

He spent 10 years with the Houston Texans and the last two with the Cardinals.