The future Hall of Famer may have hung up his cleats, but he’s busier than ever. Boardroom sat down with Watt to discuss the three tenets of his post-retirement life.
J.J. Watt probably didn’t have a shortage of options for what he could do following an NFL career during which he cemented his status as one of the best defensive players in the league’s history. What he decided on was a three-pronged approach centered around football, family, and investments.
The 35-year-old looked sharp in a light gray suit last month at CBS’ press preview for the NFL season, standing tall among a star-studded room of network talent. While he began his media broadcasting career part time last year on the “NFL Today” pregame show, Watt will now play a larger role starting Sunday in a revamped lineup alongside host James Brown and analysts Nate Burleson, Bill Cowher, and Matt Ryan that quickly gelled on and off set.
“It’s just a bunch of guys talking ball, and I think that’s all fans want,” Watt told Boardroom. “Talk to them and tell them what you see.”
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Game days for Watt are obviously different now following a 12-year run where he won three Defensive Player of the Year awards— tied for the most all-time with Aaron Donald and Lawrence Taylor— five All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections, and the NFL’s 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year award honoring philanthropic and community impact. While he clearly knows the consequences of winning and losing, these days Watt simply gets to wake up and enjoy it all like a fan, hanging with his coworkers and watching how everything unfolds each Sunday. During his first season on the desk, Watt learned to let loose and have fun, and to get his point across quickly. He also found a flow in which he balanced his personality with conducting rigorous research and analysis each week to prepare.
Even after hanging up his cleats, the Wisconsin native still has his plate full with commercial and sponsorship obligations. He’s also accumulated a wide range of investments, none more important than his minority stake in Burnley F.C., an English soccer club currently in the EFL Championship second division. But even with a packed schedule, Watt gets to spend a lot more time with his wife, Kealia, a former NWSL standout, and their son Koa, enjoying quality time at home, taking plenty of vacations, and still cheering on his brother T.J., a standout defender for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Burnley is Watt’s new team now, and he is actively involved in finding ways to help the club improve and earn promotion back into the Premier League after being relegated last season. In our conversation, Watt revealed that he was drawn to the investment opportunity because it would allow for him to have a real voice in the club’s decisions, including transfer discussions, the management search, the team, and the players. Watt also provides a different perspective in negotiations along with building the team’s public perception and bringing new fans into the club.
“It’s a passion of mine, combining sports and business in a perfect way,” Watt said. “When you’re in the boardroom, you’re the only one that has experience playing at the professional level, and there are certain things that you can bring from that standpoint building the overall culture and the vision and mindset you want to instill.”
As he’s acclimated to his new role in Burnley ownership, Watt said a dream is to eventually be a majority stakeholder and he’s open to expanding those dreams beyond Burnley.
“There are aspirations down the line, but it’s more of financial issue than anything else,” he said. “I have to be realistic about the financial implications, so I would say any team if I find the right situation.”
Watt also has his hands outside of sports, with investments in Athletic Brewing, Hyperice, Feature, Bombas, and Popup Bagels, all companies that he believes in both the quality of the products and the people behind them.
It often takes retired players a long time to find the best situations and circumstances to ensure a happy, healthy, productive, lucrative post-playing career. Less than two years after he called it quits on the game he loves, Watt has quickly found three foundational pillars to sustain him as a father, football analyst, and investor.
After a dominant first act, Watt seems to have stacked a big lead when it comes to his second.
