JJ Watt is an American football player who started his professional career with the Houston Texans and plays in the defensive end position. The famous player, whose caliber is rare in the athletics world, was assigned to the team on April 28, 2011, with the eleventh pick in the first round of the National Football League (NFL) draft.
Although the award-winning player is, for the most part, a defensive end, he also conveniently switches to another position, such as a defensive tackle or offense, when the need arises. In 2014, the soccer star set a record in NFL history by becoming the first to record two sack seasons spanning more than 20 years in his career, in addition to breaking the team’s franchise records for both sacks and forced Fumbles set up.
JJ Watt is not only a famous soccer player but also actively impacts the lives of young people through his charity foundation.
Who is JJ Watts?
Known simply as JJ Watt, the football player was born Justin James Watt on March 22, 1989 in Waukesha, Wisconsin to Connie and John Watt. Despite growing up in a family where neither of his parents had any connection to sports, Watt was interested in sporting activities – hockey and soccer to be exact – from a young age. He started playing hockey at the age of 4 and played for teams that traveled to Canada and Germany. However, he was left with no choice but to give up the sport at the age of 13 when he began to conflict with his program and also for financial reasons.
Playing soccer and hockey as a kid helped JJ Watt discover his true passion, which he discovered as a soccer player when he was in fifth grade. As a result, he focused more on sports when he attended high school (Pewaukee High School), although he also served on his school’s basketball, baseball, and track teams. Like a burning candle that cannot be hidden in the dark, the young champion shone in all teams and won letters in every sport.
After high school, Watt transferred to CentralMichigan University after receiving a scholarship offer from the institution. He only spent a year there, however, and decided to give up his scholarship rather than play offensively, as suggested by his coach Butch Jones. The football player went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he played in the defensive end position with the Badgers. During his time on the team, Watt was undeniably outstanding and as a result he received the Ronnie Lott Trophy (2010), was selected to the AP and Sports Illustrated All-American Team, All-Big Ten Team and Academic All-Big Ten. To top it off, JJ Watts was also named the team’s most valuable player.
Watt then joined the 2011 NFL draft and was ahead in all combine categories except for the 40-yard dash. After his amazing performance, he was selected by the Houston Texans in the first round with 11th overall.
His salary and wealth
JJ Watt, who becomes the first NFL player to record, signed a four-year, $11.24 million contract with the Houston Texans on July 31, 2011, early in his pro career with the Texans. Watt had been a strength to be reckoned with in his first three years in the league when he decided to reward him with a six-year, $100 million contract extension. This made him the second defensive player to sign a $100 million contract in league history. The pact guaranteed him $51.9 million, including a $10 million signing bonus. This also brought his base salary to $907,385 for 2014 and $9.969 million in 2015.
As of 2018, Watt is reported as the highest paid Texan with a cap hit of $15 million. He was ranked 29th in the Forbes 2015 list of the highest paid athletes in the world. As of 2018, his career earnings are reported to be $72.21 million, which he has accumulated from more than eight seasons. His $15 million cap hit for 2019 ranks 54th in the NFL.
Off the field, Watt rakes in about $7 million, the amount no other defensive player makes from endorsements and sponsorship deals with companies like Gatorade, Ford, NRG, Reebok, Verizon and American Family Insurance.
In summary, JJ Watt has an annual income of approximately $16.7 million and an estimated net worth of more than $100 million.
injury status
When players are in action, they often get involved in injuries, serious or minor, which sometimes don’t affect their performance. In other cases, however, they may be prevented from participating in or continuing with future games for some time. Despite being a champion footballer, JJ Watt has picked up a fair amount of injury but has always bounced back.
Just before his second pro season, on August 2, 2012, Watt dislocated his left elbow at a training camp and tore all the ligaments in the joint. Although this caused him to miss all preseason games, he did appear again in the regular season and playoffs with elbow brace.
He was doing well until he had a Grade 3 abdominal muscle tear on November 29, 2015. Watt had a partially torn right adductor longus, fully torn left adductor longus, and left adductor pectineus in the inner thighs and groin, and partial tears in the left and right abdomen. On December 9, 2015, he broke his hand (hand metacarpal fracture) while training, but that didn’t stop him from playing the full season.
The next season, Watt required surgery just before the start of the preseason for a herniated disc in his back. He was able to return in time for the start of regular time, but only played three games before the need for further surgery arose, ending his playing time early and putting him on the injured reserve list.
On September 10, 2017, Watt suffered an injury to his finger but continued to play with it, albeit making it worse. However, surgery on October 9 forced him to remain off the field and missed the last 11 games on injured reserve. Since then he has been alive and well.
JJ Watt’s wife
Watt is not married but is in a serious relationship with Kealia Ohai, an award-winning professional soccer player who plays for the Houston Dash. He met Kealia through teammate Brian Cushing, who is married to Megan, her older sister. Although the duo obviously care for each other, they have no plans to marry anytime soon as they want to build up their handlers.
His foundation
JJ Watt, to give back to society, started a charity called the Justin J. Watt Foundation. The organization strives to provide young people with an after-school opportunity to develop good character and pursue their sporting dreams.
The “Dream Big, Work Hard” foundation was launched in 2010 with Watt’s mother, Connie, as vice president.