Houston, Texas (SportsRadio 610) - The J.J. Watt era in Houston has come to an end, as the Texans have granted Watt's request to be released on Friday.
It was NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport who first reported that Watt would be released by the Texans. Watt, himself, confirmed the news in a video he posted to his Twitter account:
The 31-year-old becomes an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his NFL career after a remarkable 10 years with the Texans.
Since being drafted in the first round (11th overall) by Houston in the 2011 NFL Draft out of the University of Wisconsin, Watt has played in 128 games for the Texans, registering 531 total tackles, 172 tackles for loss, 282 quarterback hits, 101 sacks, 25 forced fumbles, two interceptions and three defensive touchdowns.
Watt's career-best season in the NFL came in his second season in 2012, where he led the NFL with 20.5 sacks and 39 tackles for loss. He ended up earning a Pro Bowl nod and First-Team All-Pro honors by the Associated Press, which he would do five more times in his career.
On top of his All-Pro honors and Pro Bowl nods, Watt was named a three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2014 and 2015), was named the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year, and was a part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-2010s Team.
This past season was a nice bounce-back year for Watt, as he managed to register 52 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles, and an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
Watt had one year remaining on his contract in Houston at $17.5 million before he was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the beginning of the 2022 NFL calendar year.
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