J.J. Watt Addresses Future in Coaching, Television

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After he officially hung his cleats up for good, there's been one burning question surrounding Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt: What in the world is he going to do with all that free time?
Watt's been a sacred grinder for his entire career, taking little time away in the offseason before getting back to work to prepare for the next season.
Football centralized his entire life. Now, his wife and son will take center stage.
Yet that will completely fill the void: Watt will have some time to spare, and whatever path he chooses, he'll likely dive into it 100%.
There's been some debate as to what Watt's short and long-term future holds. Prior to his final game, Watt said coaching would be ideal if not for the other (insert censored word):
“If there’s a role where you can coach but not do any of the other bullshit, yeah. Sign me up. And (if) they pay you a lot, that’d be great. Wherever that job is, I’ll take it. I love the act of coaching at practice. I love teaching and coaching. I love putting on the film of practice and saying, ‘Hey, I think this is what we can do.’" said Watt.
"I don’t want to break down film. I don’t want to be at the Combine. I don’t want to be up in the office until 11:00 PM game planning, so no I don’t think I’ll do any of that. Will I stop by practices and tell guys how I think they can be better? Absolutely. Will I maybe coach high school someday because I think it’s an extremely impactful position where you can truly help impact kids lives? Yeah, I think I could see that someday, but NFL and college you’re not going to catch me out there.”
That was re-affirmed recently on Twitter when Watt answered a fan who asked if he would be interested in coaching:
If I could just coach and not do all the other stuff that comes with it, absolutely. I love trying to help guys reach their full potential.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 21, 2023
But it’s the hours and hours of non-coaching that deters me. Those guys put in crazy hours and make lots of family sacrifices, etc. https://t.co/Yi702bknmO
Watt's a great personality, and many believe that could translate to a role as a color analyst or studio host for some lucky broadcast network.
He says it's a possibility:
Certainly a possibility.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 22, 2023
Early in my career I said I would never do it, but I love the game too much to not be around it in some capacity.
As for movies, not sure. I more enjoy the pressure, energy & adrenaline of a live audience (why I enjoyed hosting SNL so much)
We’ll see. https://t.co/0mO4O0R9lD
Although it's unsure if Watt will ever pursue the action movie with The Rock like previous head coach Kliff Kingsbury suggested, almost anything seems possible for a man who has already accomplished so much on the field.
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Donnie Druin is the Publisher for Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns On SI. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with the company since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!
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