J.J. Watt Doubles Down on Promise to Unretire if Burnley Keeper Keeps Up Hot Streak

J.J. Watt says he’s not joking about the deal he made to unretire.

Cardinals defensive lineman J.J. Watt comes onto the field prior to a game against the Patriots at State Farm Stadium. / Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

What started out as a joke of an offer from J.J. Watt to potentially unretire is starting to look a whole lot more real.

To recap: Watt and his wife are minority owners of the English football club Burnley, currently standing third in the Championship table. All the way back in December, Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford asked Watt to come out of retirement and play for the Bengals.

“You don’t allow a goal for the rest of the season and it’s a deal,” Watt replied, in a message he shared on social media.

The moment was a fun bit between player and partner, all the way until it wasn’t. Because since that exchange, Trafford and Burnley have kept a clean sheet in 12 straight league matches—good for the second-longest streak in the history of English soccer.

Speaking as a guest on the Dan Patrick Show, Watt said that the bet he made with Trafford is already generating a ton of interest in Burnley from Bengals fans eager to add to their pass rush.

“It’s getting pretty serious. We’ve created a lot of Claret fans in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is really cool,” Watt said. “We’re getting a lot bigger ratings and numbers from the Ohio region, so it’s been really fun.”

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Ultimately, Watt doubled down on the deal he made when asked, saying that he was in game shape.

“I’ll do it. If he does that—which is insane, there’s 12, 13 games left—if he does it, it’s insane enough and I’m respectful enough that I will absolutely follow through,” Watt said. “I’ll go out there. Who knows if they even want me?”

There’s still a long way to go for Trafford and the Clarets, but the goalkeeper seems well aware of the mentality it’s going to take to accomplish his goal.

When Watt joked with Trafford about the deal, the player quipped back, “How do you eat a whale? One bite at a time.”

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