JJ Watt has signed a multi-year deal with CBS Sports to serve as a studio analyst. The announcement was made Thursday by CBS Sports president David Berson.
Watt’s first appearance will be on The NFL Today during Week 1 on 9 September. He’ll also be an analyst for NFL shows on CBS Sports Network and online.
“I love the game too much to be away from it entirely. I’m very excited to be joining CBS Sports to contribute across all their NFL shows and platforms, including working alongside and learning from JB, Coach, Boomer, Phil and Nate this fall,” Watt said in a statement. “Hopefully fans will enjoy the insights and knowledge I’ve gained over my 12 years in the NFL and if we’re lucky, we’ll share a few laughs along the way as well.”
Watt was a three-time AP defensive player of the year and retired last season after a 12-year career in which he had 114 and a half sacks. He was the 11th overall pick in the 2011 draft by Houston and spent 10 seasons with the Texans before playing the last two years for the Arizona Cardinals.
The 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year is the only player in league history to record multiple seasons with at least 20 sacks.
Watt has been busy since retiring. Watt and his wife, former US soccer midfielder Kealia Watt, became investors in the Burnley Football Club in May.
The 34-year-old from Wisconsin followed up his decision to invest in Burnley by going on a pub crawl to ingratiate himself with the locals.
'I did a pub crawl yesterday on my way to the stadium... it's research'
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) May 9, 2023
NFL star JJ Watt has spoken to #BBCBreakfast about why he's invested in newly promoted Burnley as they prepare to return to the Premier Leaguehttps://t.co/x7BDVArM9h pic.twitter.com/KXxXFQ9HOy
“I’ve learned that the history, tradition and supporters, it’s all about respecting and honouring that,” he told BBC Breakfast. “You never want to come in and try and do something that’s not true to who the club is and what we’re trying to do is show people what real Burnley is about.
“I did a pub crawl yesterday on my way to the stadium so I started at the Royal Dyche, worked my way down to Vintage Clarets and all my way up to Turf Moor. Just getting to know the supporters, I want to earn their trust by showing them how much we care and how passionate we are.
“It’s research, I’m doing research and lots of pints of Guinness along the way. But it was a lot of fun and really good to get to know them on a personal level, and hopefully they get to know us as well.”
Watt is not the only NFL star getting ready to make the transition to broadcaster.
Tom Brady is due to join Fox Sports on a reported $375m deal that he signed in 2022 before coming out of retirement for one final season. But the seven-time Super Bowl champion said in February that he won’t be joining the network until 2024.
