JJ Watt admits he wishes he loosened up more during NFL career

JJ Watt called it quits after a 12-year career following the 2022 NFL season, marking the end of an era that he dominated as one of the best defensive ends in league history.

His dedication and worth ethic were some of his trademarks during his career. So much so that former offensive lineman Kyle Long recalled a time at the Pro Bowl following a practice where everyone was enjoying some drinks by the pool and Watt was headed back to the field to get in some more work.

“Those are some of the things that I look back on and I really do wonder to myself and have conversations if should I have loosened up a little bit more and relaxed a little bit more,” Watt admitted to Kyle and Chris Long on the ‘Green Light Podcast’. “And maybe it would’ve helped me injury-wise, who knows? Or the other side of me always says maybe that is the reason why I was what I was at my best and bad luck and things just happen. But trust me, there’s certainly times where I’m like you could’ve loosened up and had a beer with the guys man, you don’t have to be such a hard ass sometimes.”

Watt ended his career with 114.5 sacks, 27 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries, and 70 pass deflections, but also suffered from his fair share of injuries. From a fractured hand, to numerous back surgeries, and even atrial fibrillation in his final season, Watt’s body went through the wringer during his career.

“I do think that there are definitely times where I could have loosened up some more, especially in the offseason and things. But again, because I do this with the injuries as well, I’ve said before part of the thing with the injuries is you put so much weight on the bar, you do so many workouts, you’re doing two a days, you’re trying to be the absolute best you can be,” Watt explained. “And for a while that got me to the top of the game, it also probably contributed to my fall from there because of the injuries.”

It’s clear that now when he reflects back on his career, Watt sees the double-edged sword that was presented by his mentality. His ability to go the extra mile and battle through injuries contributed to his success, but also to the long list of injuries he’s accumulated over the years.

“But at what point in that trajectory would I have said okay now is the time to stop? Because I was going up and up and up. So if you would’ve told me in 2015 hey maybe it’s time to slow it down, but I’m on my way to my third Defensive Player of the Year I’m like why would I slow it down? It’s all working,” Watt said.

Watt now uses the information he’s learned from his hindsight and shares it with his brother TJ Watt, who in his six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers has more then upheld the family name in the NFL with 77.5 sacks and 23 forced fumbles.

“It’s really hard to have that conversation with yourself in the middle of it all and I do that with my brother right now, because he’s crushing it,” Watt said. “He’s playing incredible football and I’m trying to tell him hey slow it down. And obviously he had the pec injury this past season, so he got a little glimpse of that and I’m trying to give him that insight and say hey, don’t make the same mistakes I did. Being healthy is significantly more important than that extra five pounds on your bench press.”

Last year TJ Watt suffered from a torn pectoral muscle in Week 1 and also had arthroscopic knee surgery during the season. He played in a carer low 10 games and had the lowest production of his career as a result, and hopefully, the wisdom of his older brother can help guide him and keep the family name in the NFL for as long as possible.