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Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt will retire after the 2022 season, he announced Tuesday on social media. Watt, 33, made the announcement in the caption for a photo on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The post included a photo of Watt with his family, including his newborn son, Koa.
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"Koa's first ever NFL game," Watt wrote. "My last ever NFL home game. My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It's been an honor and a pleasure."
Watt entered the league as the No. 11 overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2011 NFL Draft. He spent his first 10 seasons with the Texans, where he became a fixture in the Houston community.
Watt, the 2017 NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year, raised more than $40 million in donations that year to help Houston residents impacted by Hurricane Harvey.
He also won Defensive Player of the Year honors three times with the Texans. The five-time Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection signed with the Cardinals in 2021.
Watt totaled 33 combined tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks, six passes defensed, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery through 14 starts this season.
His 111.5 career sacks rank No. 4 among active players and No. 26 since 1982, when sacks became an official statistic in the NFL.
The Cardinals (4-11) will face the Atlanta Falcons (5-10) at 1 p.m. EST Sunday in Atlanta. They will play the San Francisco 49ers (11-4) in their season finale Jan. 8 in Santa Clara, Calif.
