'My last ever NFL home game': Cardinals' JJ Watt announces this will be final NFL season

PHOENIX, Arizona (KTRK) -- Three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt announced Tuesday that this will be his final NFL season.

"Koa's first ever NFL game. My last ever NFL home game. My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It's been an absolute honor and a pleasure," he tweeted along with a picture of him holding his son Koa and standing next to his wife Kealia at Sunday night's game between the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Watt's last two games will on the road, at the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday and then at the San Francisco 49ers in the Cardinals' regular-season finale.

Watt, who was once the face of the Houston Texans, left Houston for the Cardinals back in early 2021.

The Texans selected Watt with the 11th pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, and he appeared in 128 games for the team across 10 seasons (2011-20).

Off the field, Watt's response to Hurricane Harvey in 2017 helped him earn the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The hurricane made landfall in Houston as Watt and the Texans were away playing their third preseason game. While watching the events unfold from afar, Watt posted a video on social media announcing a fundraising campaign with a very attainable goal of $200,000, to which he intended to match the first $100,000. Instead, in just 19 days, Watt helped raise more than $37 million.

ESPN contributed to this report.

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