HOUSTON – The Houston Texans released JJ Watt, who received his request.
Watt was drafted by Texans in 2011 with option no. 11 and became the face of the franchise, winning three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2012-15. Watt is one of three players to have won this award three times.
“I sat down with the McNair family and asked for their release and we agreed to break up at this time,” Watt said in a video posted on Twitter. “I came here 10 years ago, when I was a kid from Wisconsin, who had never been to Texas before. And now I can’t imagine my life without Texas in it. The way you behaved, except for draft night “I mean, you booed me on draft night. But every day after that, you treated me like a family. And I really feel like you’re my family.”
“… I’m excited and looking forward to a new opportunity and I’ve worked hard. But at the same time, it’s always hard to move on. And I just want you to know that I love you. I appreciate you. I appreciate the McNair family for that he recruited me and gave me my first chance in the NFL. “
Watt has only come out of his second season of 16 games since 2015, as he has faced several season-ending injuries since then.
Houston, I wanted you to hear that directly from me … pic.twitter.com/YqT3P6Lb6l
– JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 12, 2021
“Change is never easy, especially when it comes to those you love. JJ’s impact not only on our organization, but on the entire Houston community, is different from any player in our franchise’s history,” Cal said. McNair, president and CEO of Texans, in a prepared statement. . “I told JJ earlier this week that we would consider him a Texan forever. We calm down knowing that it is not a goodbye, but a “see you soon”. For now, we will build on the foundation created by JJ here and continue our unwavering mission to bring a championship to our city, create memorable experiences for our fans, and do great things for Houston. “
In 2020, Watt ranked 15th out of 119 passengers qualified in Pass Rush Win Rate, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He finished the season with five sacks, two forced kicks and an interception that he returned for a touchdown.
Watt is by far the most productive passenger in Texan history, with 101 career bags. There have been only two players in the history of the team with more than 30 career bags (Whitney Mercilus with 54 and Mario Williams with 53) since the first season of the franchise, in 2002.
During the season, Watt made it clear that he is not interested in playing for a team that is going through a “reconstruction.”
“I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m not 10 years old in this league,” Watt said in November. “I personally think I have a few more wonderful things left in me. But you can’t either … I don’t want to rebuild. I’m looking to go after a championship and that’s what I want to do. “
When asked at the end of the season if he felt the Texans of 2021 would be in rebuilding mode, Watt said there were “so many unknown factors in that situation right now that you can’t say for sure.”
Watt had one year left on the contract he signed in 2014. He owed $ 17.5 million in 2021, but his salary was not guaranteed. He is now free to sign with another team.