J.J. Watt

.J. Watt | Quick Facts

Full Name Justin James Watt
Birth Date March 22, 1989
Birth Place Waukesha, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
Known As J.J. Watt
Religion Unknown
Nationality American
Ethnicity White
Education Pewaukee High School,
Central Michigan University
The University of Wisconsin-Madison
Baylor College of Medicine
Horoscope Aries
Father’s Name John Watt
Mother’s Name Connie Watt
Siblings Two younger brothers (Derek Watt and T.J. Watt)
Age (as of 2022) 33 years old
Height 6 feet 5 inches (196 cm)
Weight 131 kg (288 lbs)
Hair Color Honey blonde
Eye Color Blue
Build Athlete
Relationship Status Married
Partner Kealia Ohai Watt
Profession Professional football player
League National Football League (NFL)
Position Defensive end and defensive tackle
Team Houston Texans
Salary Approximately $13 million per year
Net Worth Estimated between $10 million to $25 million
Social Media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Website Justin J. Watt Foundation
Merch Paperback, Jersey
Last Update July, 2022

J.J. Watt is the epitome of a perfect gentleman. The number one NFL players of 2015 plays for the Houston Texan since his first draft.

Since his first NFL season until today, he has maintained his place in the Top 100 NFL Players. Not only that, but Watt has received the Best Player of the Year award and the Defensive Player of the Year award several times.

On the contrary, The #99 defenseman is also a compassionate human being. He is affiliated with many charities and has a charitable foundation of his own. With his efforts, he became the Sportsperson of the Year in 2017.

Not only football, but J.J. Watt has appeared in several T.V Shows including, SNL, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and many more.

The five times Pro Bowl selectee became the first player in NFL history to record more than 20 sacks in one season.

Read more about this benevolent athlete below. But before we dig deep, let’s take a quick look at the below table for your easy understanding.

Early Life, Family, and Education | J.J. Watt

Justin James Watt, better known by his initials J.J. Watt, was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on March 22, 1989. His mother Connie is a vice president of building operations, and his father John is a firefighter.

Additionally, both of his younger brothers, T.J. Watt and Derek Watt, are NFL players.

Watt has had a deep love for athletics since he was a young boy. J.J. Watt began playing ice hockey at the age of thirteen for multiple tour teams that went to Canada and Germany. But shortly he had some money difficulties and schedule conflicts. Thus, Watt was forced to stop playing hockey.

During his time in school, J.J. Watt participated in hockey, football, track & field, baseball, and basketball. At Pewaukee High School, Watt’s senior year, he won the Woodland Conference Player of the Year Award. He was selected for the first team as a tight end and defensive end for the state, county, area, and conference.

With 399 receiving yards, 26 catches, and five touchdowns in his senior season, he was also named the team’s MVP.

He made the decision to enroll at Central Michigan University for his graduate degree. However, he later transferred to the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

And even though he was unable to complete his education, Baylor College of Medicine awarded him a Doctor of Humanities in Medicine degree in 2018.

J.J. Watt | Education

Watt initially enrolled after being offered a scholarship at Central Michigan University. He participated in a total of 14 games while a student at Central Michigan. Watt chose to leave Michigan for the University of Wisconsin, though, after several of his coaches advised him to switch to offensive lineman.

At the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where Watt played defensive end, he received a scholarship offer. Additionally, he won Scout Team Player of the Year for Wisconsin.

Watt also played for the Wisconsin Badgers for two seasons. In 2010, Watt won the Ronnie Lott Trophy, was named to the All-Big Ten first team, academic All-Big Ten, and was chosen as the team’s MVP. He was also named to the second teams of the AP and Sports Illustrated polls.

The Professional Career of J.J. Watt

Watt entered the 2011 NFL Draft and was unable to finish his graduation. He was chosen as the first defensive end in the opening round. He was selected by the Houston Texans with the 11th overall pick. On July 31, 2011, the Texans presented Watt with a four-year, $11.24 million deal.

2011

He made his NFL debut with the Houston Texans in the season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, with five tackles. In a similar vein, Watt recorded his first multi-sack performance on November 27 in a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With 48 solo tackles, 8 assisted tackles, and 5.5 sacks, Watt ended his debut season. Additionally, for the first time in the history of the team, the Texans made the playoffs.

Additionally, Watt made a big impression in the playoff games against the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals. In other words, he won three prizes in his rookie season: Pro-Football Weekly/PWFA All-Rookie Team, USA Today All-Joe Team, and Texans Team Rookie of the Year.

2012 – 2013

One of the top defensive seasons in NFL history belonged to Watt in 2012. To start, in both September and December, he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month.

J.J. Watt received the team MVP award, was named to the USA Football Fundamentals Team, made the PFW First-Team All-Pro, won the Pro Football Weekly/PFWA Most Valuable Player award, won the NFL 101 AFC Defensive Player of the Year award, made the AP First-Team All-Pro, and won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award all in the same year.

Furthermore, Watt won the Defensive Player of the Year title with 49 out of 50 votes. He is really the first member of the Texans to win NFL Player of the Year honors since 1971.

After a successful season, the Texans’ collective performance declined in 2013. However, in Week 2’s victory over the Tennessee Titans, Watt registered his first two sacks of the year.

The Texans gave it their all, but despite their best efforts, they ended up with a 2-14 record. Watt was a Pro Bowl captain and received a title for the 2014 NFL Pro Bowl.

2014

Watt committed to the Texans for an additional six years and $100 million after the 2013 campaign. He also received a signing bonus of $30.9 million. He was the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL at the time.

On September 14, Watt became the first defensive player in Texans history to score a touchdown from scrimmage during a game against the Oakland Raiders.

The touchdown streaks by Watt in 2014 were a big deal. In light of this, on September 28, Watt had the sixth-longest interception return in defensive line history and the fourth-longest in Houston Texans history.

Watt struck the opposing player nine times during the game vs the Buffalo Bills, yet he twice received a red alert for roughing the passer. This led to a $16,537 fine for one of the events. Watt nonetheless won the AFC Defensive Player of the Month award for September.

Cris Carter, the team captain of Team Carter, chose Watt to be his captain on defense as a result of his excellent performance. for the Pro Bowl in 2015.

After the Pro Bowl game, Watt also received the Defensive MVP award. Since 2008, he was the first defensive player to receive votes for MVP. And to make matters worse, he was named Defensive Player of the Year. One of the select few athletes to receive the honor more than once was Watt.

In addition, Watt made history by becoming the first defensive lineman to accomplish it since 1944. Watt later earned the top spot in the 2015 NFL Top 100 Players list.

2015-2016

Despite having a groin ailment, the NFL’s top player of the year produced 76 tackles, an NFL-high 17.5 sacks, eight passes defended, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in all sixteen games.

In addition, he won his third Defensive Player of the Year honor in 2015. On January 12, 2016, he had surgery for a sports hernia as a result of his injury. Watt withdrew from the 2016 Pro Bowl, which would have been his fourth consecutive appearance.

On the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016, he was the third-best player and the greatest defensive lineman.

Unfavorably, Watt had to have back surgery for a bulging disc on July 21, 2016. He was placed on the disabled list but soon came back to play to begin the season. When Watt returned in week 1, Texas defeated the Chicago Bears.

He also made five total tackles and 1.5 sacks in Week 2’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The same goes for a game against the New England Patriots, where he earned two tackle assists. But on September 29, 2016, Watt had to have back surgery once more.

He was forced to withdraw for the remainder of the campaign as a result. He only participated in three games, yet he was still listed as the 35th best player in the NFL for 2017.

2017-2018

For the season’s first game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the top NFL player returned to the field. However, Watt’s leg injury forced him to abandon the game in Week 5.

The following day, J.J. Watt underwent surgery for a tibial plateau fracture in his left leg. He was forced to sit out the rest of the season. Nevertheless, he was still able to maintain his 84th-place rating on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018 list.

Along with football, he also accomplished some amazing things thanks to his celebrity. For those Hurricane Harvey victims in the Houston region, Watt raised almost $40 million. He also contributed $1 million of his own money.

Watt was recognized as the 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year for his exceptional efforts to assist the community.

Watt soon made a comeback to play against the England Patriots in the first game of the season. In addition to making a full recovery from his injuries, he also won the AFC Defensive Player of the Month award for September after compiling five sacks, 20 tackles, and four forced fumbles.

Along with victory against the Tennessee Titans, he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his nine tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Likewise, Watt, who finished the season with 16 sacks, received his fifth First-Team All-Pro honor.

2019-2020

In the season opener, Watt concluded a game with no tackles and the quarterback for the first time in all those years of his career. However, against the Los Angeles Chargers two weeks later, Watt recorded two sacks.

Watt unfortunately tore his pectoral, forcing him to sit out the rest of the season.

On December 24, Watt continued to train with the team. And on December 31, 2019, Watt took the field in a playoff game against the Buffalo Bills as a wild-card entry. After a shootout goal, the Texans ultimately prevailed over the Bills.

Similar to this, he registered his first sack against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2 of the 2020 campaign. Similarly, Watt recorded his 99th career sack against the Tennessee Titans in Week 6.

And to make matters worst, J.J. Watt sacked the Jaguars in November 2020 for his 100th career victory. In addition, as of Week 9 in 2020, Watt had 504 tackles overall, 24 forced fumbles, and 16 fumble recoveries.

Although it hasn’t been proven, there are rumors that the Texans’ finest defensemen may leave the squad.

Age, statistics, contract, injury, married status, wife, and wealth of Charlie Morton.

J.J. Watt, a free agent pass rusher, signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals at the beginning of March 2021. Their contract is for $31 million and includes a $23 million guarantee, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Prior to the contract, Watt initially posted his picture on Twitter to propose the trade. He will currently team up with Chandler Jones, another pass-rusher.

One of the NFL reporters called Watt one of the team’s riskier additions shortly after his contract was signed. According to him, he had a difficult time adjusting to the squad because of his prior season’s poor performance and injuries.

“I’m going to work my tail off every single day to make you proud is the one thing I can guarantee you. Being a member of the “Bird Gang” and the “Red Sea” makes me extremely proud.
J. J. Watt

Off-topic a bit, J.J. Watt was most likely going to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after leaving the Houston Texans. Additionally, Sports Betting Dime has the Bucs classified as the second extremely unlikely team to sign Watt.

Sporting News also identified the Buccaneers as Watt’s most desirable landing location. Watt did, however, ultimately decide to join Arizona.

J.J. Watt | Injuries

Watt has missed multiple games due to ailments he has sustained thus far. Watt also missed eight games in 2019 and 11 games in 2017, respectively.

On August 2, 2012, he suffered one of his most serious injuries when he dislocated his left elbow. He tore “all the ligaments” in the joint since he was hurt during training camp. He didn’t play in any preseason games as a result.

In addition, he had a nose injury, although he was fortunate not to miss any games.

Later, on November 29, 2015, Watt experienced a grade 3 abdominal muscle strain. In his inner thighs and groin, left and right abdomen, and left and right adductor pectineus, he had battled with partially torn right adductor longus, entirely torn left adductor longus, and fully torn left adductor pectineus.

He also broke his hand while practicing that year in December. After that, on July 20, 2016, Watt had back surgery to repair a herniated disc. Even though he quickly returned to the field, he needed surgery once more only three games later.

Watt suffered a mild dislocation to his left ring finger on September 10, 2017. He underwent another operation for the leg’s tibial plateau fracture just one month later. He missed a total of eleven games at that time.

On January 14, 2019, Watt had a minor knee procedure. He tore his pectoral during the second half of the season in Week 8’s victory over Oakland. It was exhaustingly followed by another surgery, which caused him to miss eight NFL games.

J.J. Watt | Income and Net Worth

Justin James Watt is one of the best defensemen any team could have. He earns approximately $13 million annually, excluding his endorsements with Reebok, Ford Motor, Gatorade, and several others.

As of 2022, Watt’s net worth is estimated between $10 million to $25 million.

Also, as one of the highest-paid defenseman who signed a $100 million contract with the Texans, his net worth might keep on increasing.

Similarly, The football star had a “humble” house in Pearland, a luxurious house for people like us. However, he sold the house in 2016 and bought a cozy cabin in Wisconsin, where he has plans to do some modifications.

Even though he has not shared any pictures of his cars’ collection, he probably owns a collection of them. Additionally, he reportedly owns a Ford F-150 Platinum and a Polaris 1000.

Even more so, he gifted a Range Rover to his mother as a birthday gift, and that might not be the only one.

Personal Logo

Back in 2016, J.J. Watt announced and showcased his personal logo or stamp. According to ESPN, the logo represents a building climbing up the sky, which is in fact a metaphor for the work ethic of Watt.

“I wanted the ability to put my own personal stamp of approval on tools that I thought would help people perform better. When you see this logo, you will know that I personally had my hand in the product’s creation and that it has my own personal stamp of approval.”
-J.J. Watt

As a matter of fact, the logo has loads of meanings to it. To illustrate, the logo is an inverted 99 number, which also looks like the letter ‘d’ and ‘b’ which stands for ‘dream big.’ Furthermore, it also represents the letter ‘W.’

Ultimate Tag

J.J. Watt has commenced his new television show, “Ultimate Tag” on FOX alongside his NFL star brothers, Derek and T.J. Apparently, this show is a competition-based show inspired by the classic playground game.

Among all the hurdles past, the last man or woman standing as a winner will gain a $10,000 prize. Altogether, it is an American sports entertainment obstacle course competition television series.

J.J. Watt | Marriage and Personal Life

Justin James Watt is a married man who tied the knot with professional soccer player Kealia Mae Ohai. They became husband and wife earlier in 2020 in the Bahamas.

Prior to that, the couple had dated for many years and got engaged in May 2019.

Kealia was born on January 31, 1992, in Utah. She currently plays for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women’s Soccer League. Previously, she played for the Houston Dash until 2019.

On top of it, Mrs. Watt has represented the United States on international grounds and in the Olympics. Both Justin and Kealia support and respect each other as a couple and as sportspersons too.

Furthermore, they are yet to become parents, and one might assume a baby is on its way. However, both seem pretty busy with their sports/work and are happy at present. Hopefully, they will make an announcement when it’s time.

However, they do have two adorable dogs, Tex and Finley.

Alongside being a great player and a husband, he is also someone who takes his own stand. To illustrate, Watt believes that one should have his or her own stand rather than to let others speak for them.

For instance, glancing back to the time, when he stood for the national anthem controversy. He stated that kneeling down or not, shoud be commented by himself. Apparently, he assumed his own political belief and had tweeted the following on Twitter.

“A) don’t speak for me B) if you still think it’s about disrespecting the flag or our military, you clearly haven’t been listening.”

Charities – Justin J. Foundation

Moving on, Watt is not only a loving husband, son, and brother, but he is generally a loving and generous human being. He is the founder and the president of Justin. J. Watt Foundation. The J.J. foundation focuses on providing after-school athletic opportunities to the middle-school students so that they learn the importance of teamwork, leadership, accountability, and work ethic while being in a supervised environment.

The foundation was launched in 2010 with the motto, “Dream Big, Work Hard,” and has since raised over $1 million.

Not to forget, in 2015, J.J. Watt visited a children’s hospital dress up as Batman to cheer the kids.

Similarly, Watt has helped raise funds and donated, for the victims of Hurricane Harvey, the victims of the El Paso shooting, and the Houston Food Bank for aid relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To sum up his charitable work, he is a man with a golden heart. And though there are several humanitarian efforts he does out of our sight, Watt is doing his part in making the world a better place.

J.J. Watt | Social Media Presence

Facebook – @jjwatt1 – 2 million followers

Instagram – @jjwatt – 4 million followers

Twitter – @JJWatt – 5.5 million followers

Website – jjfoundation.org

J.J. Watt | FAQs

What is the jersey number of J.J. Watt?

J.J. watt features in jersey number 99 for the Arizona Cardinals.

What are the destinations for J.J. Watt stating?

The destinations listed for J.J. Watt were simply the teams he would have signed to after leaving the Houston Texans. There were eleven possible teams listed and some of them were as below.

  • Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Chicago Bears
  • Green Bay Packers
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Kansas City Chiefs
  • AFC South
  • Dallas Cowboys
  • Cleveland Browns
  • Baltimore Ravens

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