Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt was on hand for Super Bowl week activities and took a few moments to talk with ESPN about his injury and future in the league.
Watt has been cleared to fully practice, which was the case during the playoffs. But prior to that, Watt said all he could do was walk. This is something he did a tremendous amount of to the tune of 12 miles per day. That is quite incredible and showed how badly he needed to fit physical activity into his daily rehab process.
In his hours spent walking, Watt said it gave him plenty of time to think about his career. He said the time off “rejuvenated” his passion for the game and he feels so fortunate that he gets paid to play football.
Watt played only three games in the 2016 season before landing on IR. He said that it was the first time he missed a football game since fifth grade.
Watt spent much of the 2016 offseason rehabbing from a back surgery. When pressed about how much longer he plans to play, Watt said he does not have a “crystal ball,” but said he now feels like his demeanor is “like turning the clock back” to his rookie season.
By the sound of his enthusiasm during the interview, it would appear that Watt is a long ways off from hanging up his cleats. His demeanor was not the same as when he admitted that he considered retirement last offseason.
Watt turns 28 in March and 2017 will mark the seventh year of his career.