JJ Watt, considered one of the NFL’s greatest defensive players, has announced he will retire at the end of the current season.
The Arizona Cardinals defensive end, 33, was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times.
Watt spent a decade with the Houston Texans before joining Arizona in 2021.
“My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It was an absolute honor and a pleasure,” Watt said. wrote on Twitter.
Watt has spent the past two seasons with the Cardinals, having represented the Houston Texans between 2011 and 2020.
He added that Sunday loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was both his grandson Koa’s first game in the NFL and his own “last” home game.
Having failed to qualify for the playoffs, the Cardinals have two more regular season games in Atlanta and San Francisco.
In addition to being Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, 2014 and 2015, Watt was the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2017.
He was also named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year in 2017 for helping to raise $37m (£30.7m) in relief funds for those affected by the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey in Houston.
During his 12-year NFL career, Watt had 111.5 sacks, 580 tackles and 27 forced fumbles, and is the only player in the last 40 years to record 20 or more sacks in multiple seasons.
