Former NFL star J.J. Watt teased the possibility of coming out of retirement when he revealed the details of a friendly wager he recently made with Burnley F.C. goalkeeper James Trafford.
Watt, who is a minority owner of the English Championship tier soccer club, was asked by Trafford if he'd consider un-retiring to play for the Cincinnati Bengals, Trafford's favorite NFL team. Watt told his goalie that if he didn't concede another goal for the remainder of the season that he would be willing to return to the league (assuming the Bengals would want him) and play for Cincinnati.
Trafford proceeded to go 13 consecutive games without surrendering a single goal, a streak which came to an end during this week's matchup against Cardiff City, during which Trafford conceded one goal. Watt was watching the game and said on social media that the Bengals dream had officially been put to rest.
During a Thursday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Watt claimed that he, a man of his word, fully intended to honor his side of the bet if Trafford had been able to pull off the near-impossible feat.
"I'm telling you I was serious that I was gonna play for the Bengals..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 6, 2025
I said that I would do it and what James Trafford was doing was so impressive" ~ @JJWatt #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/6Psk5fRnIj
Watt said that he sat down and had a conversation with his wife, in which he told her he would "absolutely" come out of retirement if Trafford maintained his streak of clean sheets throughout the remainder of the season.
"I would've done it. It's easy because I'm talking about it after the fact now, but I told her, I'll play for vet minimum, I'll go do it, because it's that impressive and I said I'd do it," Watt said.
In the end, it remains nothing more than an intriguing "What if?" as Trafford, reasonably so, was unable to maintain what would've been a historic streak without surrendering a goal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as J.J. Watt Insists He Would've Played for Bengals If He Lost Bet With Burnley Goalie.
