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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Joseph McBride

JJ Watt announces new NFL role after choosing between three lucrative offers

Former NFL defensive end JJ Watt will start working at CBS in the fall, after retiring from the league at the end of last season.

Watt will offer analysis during NFL coverage, and has also promised to make fun of his brothers live on air too. Watt had three major roles presented to him after announcing his retirement, but CBS have won the race for the three-time defensive player or the year.

"I will be working at CBS this fall," Watt confirmed on his personal Twitter. "I am extremely excited to be joining... talk a little NFL this fall, talk a little life, have a global platform to make fun at my brothers on.

"It really is a great opportunity I'm very much looking forward to it, looking forward to talking NFL with you fans this fall. Hopefully give me some knowledge, a little experience, and some laughs along the way. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Watt joked in his video after he originally announced he'd be joining 'CVS' instead. CVS is a popular pharmacy in the United States, and Watt mocked himself by saying: "It's very important to get your own announcements right."

According to the New York Post, NBC and NFL Network were also looking to sign Watt, despite the former DE admitting that he never planned to go into media at the end of his playing career. "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," Watt said in January during a Twitter Q&A when asked about working in TV.

Watt's NFL career came to an end in December, as he played his final game for the Arizona Cardinals in a defeat against the San Francisco 49ers. But Watt's best moments came between 2011-2020, when at the Houston Texans, which is where he won his three defensive awards.

The 34-year-old had considered coaching at the end of his career, but has drifted more towards business. On May 1, he and his wife were announced as new minority investors in Burnley FC. who won the Championship and earned promotion back to the Premier League.

Watt is a self-proclaimed Chelsea fan, but will be backing the Clarets in his first season as owner in the 2023/23 campaign. He will be doing so from afar after committing to CBS, but explained that Burnley actually reminds him of growing up in Wisconsin.

"I started to look at the boxes and every single one was checked," he told The Athletic when describing his rationale for buying the club. "Unbelievable history, great town. I’m from a small town in Wisconsin. It’s all about hard-working people.

"There is a Premier League pedigree, a manager who has a pedigree of his own and a vision of the future and a style of football that’s beautiful and the ownership is incredible. I can come into a club and a town like Burnley and do that. That was a really big thing for us and I can go on a journey with this club and try and do my little part in elevating us."

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