JJ Watt 'grateful' that Hard Knocks was there to capture parts of his final year in NFL

The 2022 season turned out to be J.J. Watt’s last in the NFL after he announced his retirement in December. But by playing for the Arizona Cardinals, fans got a one-of-a-kind look at his final campaign thanks to Hard Knocks.

The Cardinals were on the show in 2022 — an interesting one, to say the least. Arizona finished 4-13, saw Kyler Murray go down with a torn ACL late in the year, and, eventually, fired Kliff Kingsbury. But by having the film crew around, Watt’s last months as an NFL player can be preserved forever.

That’s why, although he wasn’t necessarily thrilled about having Hard Knocks around, he’s grateful Arizona was on the show when it was.

“I also captured a ton,” Watt said on the “Green Light” podcast. “It actually helped — I like the people that produce Hard Knocks. They’re incredible people. They really are great. I do not like having hard knocks around for a team. I just don’t. But for this, it was really cool to have them because now, I have my entire final season, basically, captured.

“They caught the retirement, they got my moments with [my son] Koa, with my wife. So I was very grateful for that, and that was really special. And they gave me all the raw footage, and now I have that for the rest of my life. I want to show Koa.”

Watt, 34, put together a decorated career in the NFL after the Houston Texans selected him No. 11 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. He totaled 586 tackles, 114.5 sacks, two interceptions and three touchdowns. Although injuries became a problem the last couple of years, he finished his career with the Cardinals on a bounce-back year, with 39 tackles and 12.5 sacks.

He also could have some interesting opportunities in retirement to stay around the game. Watt could be looking for a part-time role on TV, according to the New York Post. NBC, CBS and NFL Network are the three major networks to watch for Watt’s talents and, according to Andrew Marchand, CBS is the favorite.

Earlier in the offseason, Awful Announcing reported NBC could be looking at Watt as an analyst as part of its Big Ten football coverage. The network is part of a blockbuster media rights deal with the conference. Watt — who starred at Wisconsin — would also be a part of Sunday Night Football as part of the role. However, the report noted other networks interested in Watt.