J.J. Watt announced that he would retire at the end of the 2022 NFL season, and he played his final NFL game on January 8, 2023, with the Arizona Cardinals.

Key dates

  • Retirement announcement: December 27, 2022, when Watt posted that the 2022 season would be his last in the NFL.
  • Final NFL game: January 8, 2023, in Week 18 of the 2022 season, against the San Francisco 49ers, where he recorded two sacks in his last appearance.

Quick context

  • Watt finished that 2022 season with 12.5 sacks and 39 total tackles, showing he was still highly productive even in his final year.
  • His decision to retire was framed as choosing the “right time” to step away after 12 NFL seasons, balancing health, family, and leaving while still playing at a high level.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.