J. J. Watt recently shocked fans by announcing his retirement from football following the conclusion of the current NFL season. Following his final home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Arizona Cardinals defense made the announcement.
After beginning his career in the league in 2011, Watt participated in a total of 12 seasons. He was able to amass a sizable wealth for himself over the course of his lengthy career. Here is all the information we have on his earnings and net worth.
J. J. Watt will have a staggering net worth of $50 million in December 2022, according to the website Celebrity Net Worth. The guy made the majority of this income throughout the course of his protracted NFL career. Watt signed a four-year, $11 million contract with the Houston Texans after being selected by them in the 2011 NFL Draft.
He extended his deal with the team by $100 million in 2014. Watt became the highest-paid player who was not a quarterback in the NFL at the time after agreeing to a six-year contract with a $10 million incentive.
The defense was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals for the 2021 and 2022 seasons after playing with the Texans for ten seasons. The athlete agreed to a $31 million contract, of which $23 million was guaranteed. The signing guarantee was $20 million, and the injury guarantee was $3 million.
Watt played football successfully in high school and college before electing to forego his senior year in order to enter the 2011 NFL Draft. He established himself well in his debut year with the Texans, helping the team reach the playoffs for the first time. He was voted the Texans’ Rookie of the Year after finishing the season with more than five sacks.
He received the NFL Player of the Year award and was named to the NFL Pro Bowl team in 2013. He received the Defensive Player of the Year honor the very next season. Watt had a rough several seasons due to injuries, but he had a strong comeback in 2018, recording 16 sacks.
He played with the Cardinals in 2021, but his injuries persisted. He made a second appearance in the league with the Cardinals in December 2022, at which point he declared his retirement from the game.
Watt has served as an ambassador for a variety of companies throughout the years, including Reebok, Gatorade, Ford, and Verizon. He received between $7 million and $10 million a year in salary for endorsing these companies.
The footballer made significant real estate investments as well. He spent $800,000 on a 4,500-square-foot mansion in Summit, Wisconsin’s southeast, in 2015. The house had four bedrooms, and a 35-acre tract of land encircled it.
He had earlier in the year bought a 4169 square foot, four bedroom Texas home with a saltwater pool. The player listed the house in 2016 for $465,000 after purchasing it for $399,000.
Watt is renowned for his charitable endeavors as well. He established the J.J. Watt Foundation in 2010, which looks after the nation’s after-school athletic initiatives. He raised $37 million in 2017 to aid Houston residents who were impacted by Hurricane Harvey.