J.J. Watt stars in the final game of his NFL career; he has heartwarming moment with wife and newborn; brothers honor him
Christopher KuhagenJ.J. Watt is all about football and family.
So it was only fitting that his parents, brothers, wife and son all played a prominent part in advance of the final game of Watt's illustrious career on Sunday.
The day started with younger brothers Derek and T.J. honoring big brother from afar.
Derek and T.J., teammates for the last three years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, arrived to Acrisure Stadium for their Week 18 game against the Cleveland Browns wearing J.J.'s No. 99 Arizona Cardinals jersey.
The Steelers' tweet that showed Derek and T.J. in the jerseys sparked an emotional response from J.J.
"Man oh man, I wasn't ready for this this morning," J.J. wrote. "Genuinely could not ask for two better brothers. This means the world to me."
Cardinals star defensive end J.J. Watt has special moment with wife, Kealia, and son, Koa, before final game
J.J. then went out and had a vintage J.J. Watt game. He recorded two sacks, five tackles, including three that went for a loss, and a pass deflection in the Cardinals' game Sunday afternoon against the San Francisco 49ers.
He also had a heartwarming moment with wife, Kealia, and his newborn son, Koa, before the regular-season finale.
Watt then had an emotional sendoff, hugging coach Kliff Kingsbury at the end of the game. Cameras also caught Kealia and J.J.'s mom, Connie, tearing up in the stands.
Kealia and J.J. then celebrated on the field after the game with Koa.
On Saturday, J.J. posted a tweet that included several photos of cleats that had images and sayings representing milestones in his football career and showcased people who have been instrumental in his life. He wrote "Journey of a thousand stories."
For example, he included an image of himself, his wife, son and his parents from the Cardinals' game on Christmas. It was Koa's first NFL game and the photo he used on Dec. 27 to highlight in his retirement announcement a couple weeks ago. He also had an image of his grandma, his dogs, Tex and Finley, and of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year trophy (it's an award he won a record-tying three times).
Of course, No. 99 is written out to pay homage to his jersey number during his college days at Wisconsin and throughout his NFL career. But there was also the No. 82 he wore during his one year with Central Michigan. Watt, who turned into a star defensive end, was lightly recruited out of Pewaukee and was used as a tight end in that one year. He decided to bet on himself by transferring to Wisconsin as a walk-on. Watt also featured two numbers that he wore as a youth in Pewaukee (No. 10 and No. 9). His No. 9 is retired at Pewaukee High School. During last week's game, Watt, a 2007 PHS graduate, wore cleats that featured the Pewaukee Pirates logo and the school's black and red colors.
The word "Houston" was also included on one of the cleats, a nod to where he spent most of his Hall of Fame NFL career.
On the back of his left cleat is the saying "Dream Big, Work Hard."
J.J. Watt won three Defensive Player of the Year awards, Walter Payton Man of the Year during career
The 33-year-old Watt is retiring after 12 NFL seasons (10 in Houston and the last two in Arizona).
He was a first round draft pick by the Texans in 2011 after an All-American junior season at Wisconsin. He was a sack machine in the NFL and became known for his high intensity on the field and his humanitarian work off the field.
He registered the most sacks in the NFL in 2012 and 2015 on his way to defensive player of the year honors in those seasons. He also took home the award in 2014. He boasts five All-Pro honors and was named to five Pro Bowls. He has 112.5 sacks, a number that would be even higher if not for several significant injuries during the second half of his career. In fact, he reached 75 sacks faster than anyone in NFL history outside of the late Reggie White.
Watt won the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2017 for his charitable efforts in leading a $41.6 million fundraising campaign following Hurricane Harvey, which devastated Houston and the surrounding area.
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