JJ Watt 'at peace' with retirement decision, says he could still play 'if I wanted to'

Former NFL star defensive end J.J. Watt hung up the cleats after the 2022 season and is enjoying the retirement life.

J.J. Watt probably could have played for at least another season, but after 12 grueling seasons and a baby boy born in October, he decided it was time to walk away.

The 34-year-old hung up the cleats after the 2022 season, and for the first time since 2010, he will be home watching the NFL in Week 1.

Watt was named the Defensive Player of the Year three times in his first five NFL seasons – in his next two, he played in just seven of a possible 32 contests – and despite tons of accolades early, it looked like so much more would be left on the table.

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Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt walks on the field before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Houston on Dec. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

He alternated between healthy and unhealthy campaigns the rest of his career, and he played in all but one game last year.

Not only was it a healthy season, it was his best in quite some time. After 10.0 sacks in 31 games from 2019 to 2021, he recorded 12.5 in his final season.

But for the Houston Texans legend, it was important to actually retire while he still had something left in the tank.

"I certainly feel like I could still [play] if I wanted to. But I always wanted to walk away when I still had something left because you never want to run until the wheels fall completely off," Watt told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. "I really wanted to walk away healthy and be able to spend time with my son and my wife and to be able to enjoy those moments and to not be trying to fix things with my body.

"12.5 [sacks] last year felt great, and