J.J. Watt won’t sign one-day contract with Texans, hasn’t filled out retirement papers with NFL

J.J.. Watt retired from the NFL last season, giving an emotional farewell to the game when he finished his career with two sacks in his final contest. Watt did say he’s retiring, yet the door is open for a potential comeback. 

The five-time first-team All-Pro won’t sign a one-day contract with the Houston Texans now that he’s retired, still making him a free agent if he chooses to return. Watt will be inducted into the Texans’ Ring of Honor this season. 

“I personally just don’t really understand or see the reason for it,” Watt said. “It’s more just a ceremonial piece of paper. I think that the Ring of Honor and all that comes with it is more than enough. 

“I think they’ve done it first class the whole way and I appreciate that. I haven’t even filled out or done any retirement papers or anything. So I don’t really feel the need to sign a one-day contract or anything. It’s just a piece of paper.”

Interesting Watt hasn’t filled out his retirement papers yet (not that he has to). If Watt so chooses, he could come back and play another season if a team comes calling. If Watt signed a one-day contract with the Texans, Houston would have to release him if Watt wished to play for another team. 

Watt has the luxury of being able to play anywhere — should he actually want to come back. He seems pretty content being retired right now. 

“I’m like 277, 278. I’ve lost three or four pounds, nothing crazy. I still train four or five days a week. I just don’t run a lot,” Watt said. “I’ll do a little bit of cardio, but it’s all weights, trying to literally look good now, not trying to actually be a good athlete. 

“There’s a part of me, my body feels really good because I’m not putting that pounding on it. My knees feel great, everything feels great. There’s definitely that moment every now and then where you’re like, ‘I can turn the corner right now, real easy.’ But then I start to think to myself, Trent Williams is going to stick his hand in your face. I don’t feel like doing that. I don’t want to do that.”

Watt finished with 12.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits, and 56 pressures in his final season. All those numbers were Watt’s best since 2018, Watt’s final First Team All-Pro season. In Watt’s last four games, he finished with 13 pressures, six sacks, and nine quarterback hits — truly leaving his best on the field. 

“I’m very, very at peace with (retirement),” Watt said. “I’m very happy about it. The only time I was really like ‘Oh, damn’ was when I was asking my agent, ‘Let’s say I did go into free agency this year.’ I saw a lot of the numbers that were being thrown around in free agency. And I was like, ‘I have more sacks than that guy, I have more than that guy.’ And I was like, ‘What would I have gotten in free agency?’ 

“He told me the numbers, and I was like, ‘Just, you get to relax, man. You get to relax and be with your son. Just be with your son. Other than that, I haven’t really thought about it. I’m good, doing great. Golf course is my new home.”