30 Awesome Facts About J. J. Watt Every Fan Must Know

J. J. Watt, considered to be one of the greatest defensive linemen of all time, is the defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He has received the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times in his first five seasons. He was honored with an honorary degree – Doctor of Humanities in Medicine, by Baylor College of Medicine on May 29, 2018. He was named the Grand Marshal of the 2019 Daytona 500. Here are some really interesting facts about the football player that will blow your mind:

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1.  Watt was named Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, and was also co-named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year for 2017 for his humanitarian efforts.
2.  He was the first defensive end selected in the first round as Houston Texans picked him the 11th overall pick, and signed him to a four-year, $11.24 million contract on July 31, 2011.
3.  With his performance in the 2012 season, he became the first Texans player to receive an NFL Player of the Year award – as the 17th defensive lineman and only the eighth defensive end to receive the award since 1971.
4.  Before the start of 2014 season, he and the Texans agreed for a six-year contract extension, worth $100 million, making him the NFL's highest paid non-quarterback, based on average yearly salary.
5.  On March 1, 2021, Watt signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, with $23 million guaranteed.
6.  Justin James Watt was born on March 22, 1989 to John Watt and Connie Watt in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He has two younger brothers.
7.  His father John is a firefighter, while his mother Connie is a building operations vice president. His brothers also play in the NFL.
8.  Both his brothers – Derek Watt and T. J. Watt, play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as a full back and outside linebacker, respectively.
9.  Justin played ice hockey from age four to age 13, and has been a part of competitive teams that traveled to Canada and Germany.
10.  He gave up on ice hockey, when weekly games conflicted with his schedule. There was also some financial problem in the family at that time.

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11.  Since his childhood days, he has played football and has been very passionate about the sport. He became more interested in the sport while he was in fifth grade.
12.  He attended Pewaukee High School, where he was a four-year letter-winner in football and also lettered in basketball, baseball, and track and field.
13.  In his senior year, as a tight end and defensive end, he earned the Woodland Conference Player of the Year Award, and first-team All-State, All-County, All-Area, and All-Conference selections.
14.  He accumulated a total of 399 receiving yards, 26 catches, and 5 touchdowns, and was named as the team’s MVP.
15.  During his senior season, he also competed in the shot put, following his father’s footsteps, and earned first-team All-state selection.
16.  At the 2007 WIAA Division II Championship, he captured the state title in the shot put, when he set a new school record with a throw of 59 ft, 11.5 in (18.28 meters).
17.  Justin was regarded as a two-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, although he was ranked among neither the top tight end nor the top defensive end prospects in his class.
18.  He chose to play for the Central Michigan, under coach Butch Jones, after officially visiting Central Michigan, Colorado and Minnesota.
19.  He received a scholarship offer from Central Michigan University, as he claims that he was led to believe by Jones that as a tight end, he would have the opportunity to score touchdowns.
20.  In a total of 14 games with Central Michigan, he compiled 77 receiving yards and 8 receptions. His coaches even suggested that he move to offensive tackle.


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21.  However, he took the decision to forgo his starting spot as well as the scholarship, to walk-on at the University of Wisconsin, where he played as a defensive end.
22.  For the 2008 season, he was redshirted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was named as Wisconsin's Scout Team Player of the Year.
23.  On December 5, 2009, in a game against Hawaii, Justin had a career-high of two sacks for nine yards, three tackles for loss, six tackles, and one quarterback hurry.
24.  He skipped his senior season, and entered the 2011 NFL Draft. He was a top performer in all combine categories except the 40-yard dash, at the 2011 NFL Combine.
25.  He started all 16 games in the 2011 season, and finished his rookie year with 48 solo tackles, eight assisted tackles, and 5.5 sacks.
26.  The 2012 season was his best season as he finished with 69 solo tackles, 12 assisted tackles, 20.5 sacks, 16 passes defended, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Watt made the highest debut on NFL Network's Top 100 Players list for 2012, coming in at number five, in this season.
27.  In the 2014 season, he became the first defensive lineman to have scored at least five touchdowns in a season since 1944. He also finished the season with 20.5 sacks, becoming the only player in NFL history to have multiple 20-sack seasons.
28.  He received his third Defensive Player of the Year Award for his performance during the 2015 season, becoming the only player aside from Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald to achieve this feat.
29.  He played only three games in the 2016 season, before being ruled out for the rest of the 2016 season, as he had to undergo back surgery. Still, he was ranked 35th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.
30.  During the 2017 season, Watt raised upwards of $40 million for relief and recovery efforts for the Houston area after Hurricane Harvey, through an online drive, after donating $100,000 as the starting base.
31.  J. J. Watt Net Worth: $50 Million