J.J. Watt is back in the NFL. On Thursday, CBS Sports announced it has signed the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year winner to a multi-year contract to be an NFL studio analyst across all platforms. Watt will make his debut on The NFL Today during Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season.
“We are thrilled to welcome J.J. to the CBS Sports family and add one of the greatest defensive players of all time to our team,” David Berson, president of CBS Sports, said in a statement. “As he steps off the field after a Hall of Fame career, J.J. brings deep passion, unique insights and opinions from today’s NFL. We think fans will love what J.J. brings to our coverage.”
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“I love the game too much to be away from it entirely. I’m very excited to be joining CBS Sports to contribute across all their NFL shows and platforms, including working alongside and learning from JB, Coach, Boomer, Phil and Nate this fall,” Watt said. “Hopefully fans will enjoy the insights and knowledge I’ve gained over my 12 years in the NFL and if we’re lucky, we’ll share a few laughs along the way as well.”
Watt announced his retirement from the NFL in December. He was one of the top defenders in the NFL during the 2010s, as he was named to the Pro Bowl five times, selected to the All-Pro Team seven times and led the NFL in sacks in 2012 and 2015. From 2011-2020 Watr was a member of the Houston Texans. In March 2021, Watt signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals and registered 13.5 sacks in 23 games. In his career, Watt tallied 114.5 sacks which ranked 24th all-time in NFL history.
“I’ve known for a little while. It’s the right time,” Watt said when speaking to reporters in December about his retirement. “It feels like the right time. I’ve put so much into the game and the wins and the losses, the mental stress and passion that comes with it, it just weighs on you. It’s heavy, I mean it’s really heavy.
“The losses are very tough to take. You live with the highs and the lows, and I’ve always said that I’d way rather live with the highs and the lows than never know in the middle. I’ve got a son now. Obviously, I had a heart scare in the middle of the year, so there’s certainly some of that that played into it. But I’m very happy and am very at peace with it.”
