In Week 4, Houston Texans defensive end J.J Watt will be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor at halftime.
After playing his final season with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022, Watt retired after 114.5 career sacks. He was the Texans’ most decorated player in their 21-year history.
He was drafted by the Texans with the No. 11 overall pick out of Wisconsin in 2011, and he played for the team for 10 seasons. Watt will join Robert C. McNair and Andre Johnson in being inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor.
As the third member of our Ring of Honor, we are delighted to welcome J.J. Watt. Everyone is aware of the importance J.J. holds for us, the Texans organization and the people of Houston,” Janice, Hannah and Cal McNair, franchise owners stated in unison. “He is an incredible sportsman who enriched a deep connection with our fans and was one of the greatest players in NFL history. With much appreciation, J.J.’s place in all of our hearts remains steadfast and we look forward to honoring him on October 1st with a well-deserved tribute.”
Watt accumulated 101.5 sacks with the Texans, earned five All-Pro awards, and won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award three times in 2012, 2014, and 2015. Along with Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, he is one of three NFL players to achieve that feat in NFL history. In addition to winning the AFC South Division six times during his tenure, the franchise also made it to the Divisional round six times, reaching the playoffs in 2011, 2012, 2016, and 2019.
In 2017, Watt won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for raising $41.6 million for the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, which was distributed to eight nonprofit organizations to aid the Houston community.
When Watt asked to leave the Texans in February 2021, they released him. He joined the Cardinals, who went 11-6 in the regular season before losing 34-11 to the Rams in the wild-card round.
Watt finished with 12.5 sacks in his last season with the Cardinals, who went 4-13.
