Five reasons why J.J. Watt should join the 2024-25 Houston Texans

Not now, but in the playoffs…

In 2014, J.J. Watt scored a touchdown. Then another. And another. And so on until he had five on the season. With each score, the excitement rose and the legend of Watt grew. Houston Texans fans already knew Watt on the field was something special, but the whole world learned it that year.

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It was the 2014 season, and it was without question Watt’s best year in the NFL as he was a one-man wrecking crew for the Houston Texans.

His list of accomplishments included 20.5 sacks, a league-leading 29 tackles for loss, 51 quarterback hits, a safety, an interception, four forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries.

He was a runaway winner for the NFL’s defensive player of the year award, and finished as the runner-up for MVP behind Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

But for as amazing as the sack and tackle numbers were, it was the five touchdowns that really stood out as an unbelievable accomplishment because he scored them on both sides of the ball.

He scored two touchdowns on defense, returning an interception of then-Buffalo Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel 80 yards for a touchdown while also adding a 45-yard fumble return against the Indianapolis Colts.

As if that was not enough, he also added three touchdowns on offense while being used as a goal line tight end. Those touchdowns came in Weeks 2, 11, and 13 against Oakland, Cleveland, and Tennessee respectively.

He became the first defensive lineman since 1944 to score five touchdowns in a single season, while he was the only player to score at least three offensive touchdowns and two defensive touchdowns in the same season since 1948 regardless of position.

Last season, Watt was inducted into the Houston Texans Ring of Honor. With DeMeco Ryans returning as head coach, C.J. Stroud taking the mantle as the new face of the franchise and Hannah McNair stepping into the spotlight to overcome her husband’s downright silly public persona, elevating Watt into the Ring couldn’t have happened at a better time.

Then Watt upped the ante with this ear-catching soundbite:

J.J. Watt via SportsRadio 610

I’m a very fortunate, lucky man. I have a beautiful wife, I have a beautiful son. I’ve had 12 great years in this league and I’m very thankful to have walked away healthy and playing great. I told DeMeco last year, I said, ‘Don’t call unless you absolutely need it, but if you ever do call, I’ll be there.’ And he knows not to call unless he absolutely needs it. This is the last year I’ll tell him that, because I’m not going to keep training the way I’ve been training, but he knows that if he ever truly does need it, I’ll be there for him. I don’t anticipate that happening. They’ve got a very good group.

When this tasty bit of news first hit the wire, an echo-chamber of Watt articles erupted across the internet. Many stating the facts, with others tossing out clickbait to trick readers into thinking Watt would return imminently.

The real logic lies in having Watt rejoin the team when they hit the playoffs. There’s no guarantee the 2024 Watt will look anything like the 2014 version. In fact, odds are he won’t. But simply having him in the locker room and on the field will serve several purposes.

1. It will give the rest of the players a shot of motivation right when they really need to put the pedal to the metal.
2. It will give the rest of the players a ‘coach on the field’ of sorts, with Watt’s years of knowledge and wisdom readily available when they need it most.
3. It will serve to calm the playoff jitters a lot of young players get the first time they hit the post-season.
4. It will surely psyche out the opponents, who won’t have the luxury of ignoring Watt, as offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and head coach DeMeco Ryans utilize that distraction to hide their intentions with other players such as Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter. But wait, what does Slowik have to do with this? Just look at the above video with Watt lined up at tight end…

Bringing Watt back prematurely could result in him exiting too soon.

Bringing him back at just the right time should ignite the nitrous shot this team needs to grab the Lombardi and enshrine it at NRG.