JJ Watt Says He’d Play Again if Texans ‘Absolutely Needed It’

JJ Watt
The Associated Press
Warner Todd Huston

JJ Watt says that as he reaches age 35, this will be the last year he will make his standing offer to Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans to make a comeback with the team.

And Ryans said he is open to the possibility.

Watt delivered his revelation to reporters during his softball charity event in Sugar Land, Texas, on Saturday and insisted that he would return to the Texans if Ryans “absolutely needed it,” Fox News reported.

“I told DeMeco last year, I said, ‘Don’t call unless you absolutely need it, but if you ever do call, I’ll be there.’ And he knows not to call unless he absolutely needs it,” the player and philanthropist said.

“This is the last year I’ll tell him that, because I’m not going to keep training the way I’ve been training, but he knows that if he ever truly does need it, I’ll be there for him. I don’t anticipate that happening – they’ve got a very good crew,” he added.

For his part, Ryans replied, “I love to hear J.J. saying he’s ready. I’ve got his number ready to go just in case we need him,” according to sports radio host Sean Pendergast.

“He looks good, he’s in shape, he’s ready to roll – so, I may need to make that call. I’m happy that it’s open from him,” Ryans added.

Watt did sign another deal last year, but not to be a player. Instead, he signed a deal with CBS to be an NFL studio analyst.

The Houston Texans selected Watt with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He played 12 NFL seasons, the first ten in Houston and the final two with the Arizona Cardinals. Injuries slowed Watt’s production down in the second half of his career. However, he put up all-time numbers early in his career. Watt recorded 20.5 sacks in 2012 and 2014 and 17.5 sacks in 2015.

He finished his career with 114.5 sacks, ranking 24th all-time, according to CBS Sports.

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