HOUSTON – The Houston Texans agreed to part ways with defensive end star JJ Watt after the player asked for his release.
“I sat down with the McNair family and asked them for my release and we agreed to separate from each other at this time,” Watt said in a video posted on Twitter.
Watt was selected by the Texans in 2011 with the No. 11 pick and became the face of the franchise, winning three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards between 2012 and 2015. Watt is one of three players to win this award three times.
Watt is coming off his second 16-game season since 2015, as he has struggled with several injuries that ended the season since then.
In 2020, Watt ranked 15th among 119 passers qualified in the Pass Race Win Rate, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. He finished the season with five catches, two forced loose balls and an interception that came back for a touchdown.
Watt is by far the most productive shellfisherman in Texan history, with 101 catches in his career. There have only been two players in team history with more than 30 catches in his career (Whitney Mercilus at 54 and Mario Williams at 53) since the first season of the franchise in 2002.
During the season, Watt made it clear that he was not interested in playing for a team going through a “rebuild.”
“I don’t think it’s any secret that I don’t have 10 years left in this league,” Watt said in November. “Personally, I think I have some bigger ones left in me. But you can’t either … I’m not looking to rebuild. I’m looking for a championship, and that’s what I want. To do.”
When asked at the end of the season if he felt the 2021 Texans would be in rebuild mode, Watt said there are “so many unknown factors in this situation right now that you definitely can’t say that.”
Watt had one year left on the contract he signed in 2014. He had $ 17.5 million in 2021, but his salary was not guaranteed. He is now free to sign with another team.