J.J. Watt retired from the NFL in 2022 after 12 seasons, but he sure has a lot of fire left in him. Even after three years of enjoying his retirement, the former defensive end hasn’t ruled out a return. Now, thanks to an unexpected challenge involving Burnley FC goalkeeper James Trafford, Watt is making headlines with the possibility of a comeback.
J.J. Watt Might Be Suiting Up Again After 3 Years in Retirement
During a recent appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Watt confirmed that if Trafford pulls off an impossible streak, that is, finishing the season without conceding a single goal, he will “absolutely follow through” on his promise to unretire and suit up for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The whole thing started as a joke. Watt, a part-owner of Burnley FC, was talking to Trafford about the Steelers-Bengals rivalry when the goalkeeper threw out a casual question, asking, “Hey, do you fancy coming out of retirement and playing for the Bengals?”
Watt is known to never be the one to back down from a challenge, and he responded with a playful bet, claiming,
“Yeah, you don’t give up another goal the rest of the season, I’ll come out of retirement and play for the Bengals.”
At the time, Burnley still had 28 games left in the season, making it almost impossible to do. However, then Trafford started actually doing it. Game after game, the young keeper continued his clean-sheet streak, and Watt couldn’t ignore it.
“I messaged him again and said, ‘Hey, you’re really taking this serious, huh?’” he recalled, adding, “And he was like, ‘I really want you to play for the Bengals.’”
Though it was all fun and games at first, Trafford is now 13 games deep into his clean-sheet run, and Watt can easily be spotted staying in shape. Meanwhile, it is a wild prospect for the Bengals, who might be able to reap the benefits of the bet. The team could certainly use a veteran presence on defense, and while Watt hasn’t officially spoken to the franchise, his words claim that if Trafford pulls it off, he’s suiting up.
Watt also revealed that he never actually filed official retirement paperwork with the league. When asked if he’s still technically tied to the Houston Texans, he amusingly said that he didn’t think that far. On the flip side, the Bengals have yet to comment, but it seems like a return for Watt might be on the horizon.