With his unmistakable smile and charismatic soul, J.J. Watt is as authentic as they come. Though his presence is undoubtedly missed on the football field, it’s hard not to see that retirement looks good on him.
Watt spent 12 seasons taking down the NFL’s best, and from his time with the Houston Texans to his stint with the Arizona Cardinals, he seemingly had one goal: cause havoc at all costs. His relentless motor earned him three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, five First-team All-Pro recognitions and five trips to the Pro Bowl. There’s no party quite like a J.J. Watt sack party.
After a career of throwing all kinds of parties on the field, Watt is hosting a new kind of party: a wash party. He’s partnering with Dawn to give one lucky fan a chance to bring friends along for an all-expenses paid trip to hang with him in Arizona. They’ll be able to watch the NFL’s premier event while J.J. handles the dirty work.
“When we partnered together, one of the things that I was proud of was all the work they do with wildlife rescues and with birds,” he told For The Win in a recent interview. “So, we said, ‘Alright, let’s partner together. Let’s do something fun.’ We’re going to give away a million dollars worth of Dawn products, and we’re going to host a wash party. Fans will watch a game, and I’ll wash their dishes. It’s a pretty sweet deal. And I’ve gotten good at washing dishes. I’m an expert at it.”
Ahead of the Super Bowl in Las Vegas on February 11, Watt spoke with For the Win about his thoughts on C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans, who was the hardest quarterback to sack during his career and the hysterical reason why he could never go shirtless, like Jason Kelce did, to support his brothers, T.J. and Derek.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Why was it important to partner with Dawn? Are there any company goals or values align with yours?
When I partner with a brand, I try to find something that’s natural, authentic and real. I’ve been using Dawn in my household since I was a little kid.
Now, I have a little kid of my own, and he makes plenty of messes. So, we’re always cleaning up, and we’re always using Dawn.
Let's talk football. How bright is the future for C.J. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans?
I think their season was, by all accounts, a resounding success. Obviously, you want to win the whole thing in the end. But, coming from where they’ve been these last two years to winning the division and a playoff game — knowing that they have their coach and quarterback of the future — I think they will be able to build upon the success of this year.
They’ve instilled that pride back in Houston. People wear their Texans’ colors proudly around town. This was less surprising to me because I knew DeMeco so well and knew exactly what he would do as a coach.
We can imagine leaving Houston during your career had to be incredibly tough. Did you ever have regrets about moving on?
It was a very, very difficult time. The organization was certainly an interesting place, but I will forever love the people of Houston. I’m always going to miss the fans, the atmosphere, and the environment. That place is special and will forever be considered a home for me.
I love seeing it back to where it should be. This year’s atmosphere of that home playoff game was exactly what energy a stadium should always have.
Everybody has been arguing about fumbling out of the end zone being a touchback. Should they change the rule or leave it as is?
I’m a defensive guy. Give us the ball. That’s your problem. You shouldn’t have fumbled in the end zone. But everybody has a great point — what do you do?
You can’t just give them the ball back where they fumble. Fumbling in the end zone should be consequential. However, until somebody presents me with a significantly better option, I think you have to leave it as is and protect the ball around the goal line.
Who was the toughest quarterback to sack in your career?
Tom Brady.
He always got the ball out so fast because he doesn’t like to be sacked.
If you were to re-start your NFL career, but at a different position, what position would you play?
Oh, I’d be a quarterback all day long. I started out as a quarterback in fifth grade until junior high school. It’s a very hard position to play, and I wasn’t good enough to play it at the next level.
Luckily, I found something I was all right at, and it just happened to be chasing the quarterback.
Would you cheer on T.J. or Derek shirtless like Jason Kelce did for Travis? Also, would you start a podcast with your brothers?
No. I don’t think I’m going to go the shirtless route. You have to have a very certain body type for that, and I think that Jason has the perfect type. I have cheered them on at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, and I’ve had a blast doing it. I will continue to cheer T.J. on as long as he plays.
I would do a podcast. I have a feeling there would be a lot of arguments, which could be good content, I suppose. Maybe we should.
Of the places you played or owned a team, which places had the best beers? Any favorites?
I haven’t tried a lot of beers in an NFL Stadium. That’d be wild if I did. That’d be great. I have tried them at Burnley, and I do very much enjoy a nice pint over there. I’ll say Burnley gets the win on that one.
Finally, what's the best part about being a dad?
The unconditional joy and happiness that you experience on a daily basis. No matter what’s going on in your life, if you had a bad day or what kind of mood you’re in, the second that you see your son and he smiles at you, everything else in the world melts away.
You get to watch him learn, grow and experience this life — figure things out — and it’s the most beautiful, special thing I’ve ever seen. I’m extremely lucky to be a dad.
