NFL Rumors: J.J. Watt’s Rant Against Texans Revives Speculation That He’s Leaving After This Season
J.J. Watt’s impassioned rant against the state of the Houston Texans has revived speculation that the All-Pro defensive end may be gone after this season.
As Pro Football Talk reported, Watt vented on the state of the team following a 37-31 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, dropping the Texans to a 4-11 record just one year after they had reached the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The defensive end has already made his frustrations known, and on Sunday ended a press conference by telling teammates that they should not be there if they’re not willing to put in the work, as seen in the embedded tweet below.
“We’re professional athletes making a whole lot of money,” Watt said. “If you can’t come in and put work in in the building, go out to the practice field and work hard, do your lifts and do what you’re supposed to do, you should not be here.”
Watt went on to say that he felt bad for the team’s fans, claiming that the players have let them down this year.
“We stink. But they care and they still want to win and they still want you to be great,” he said. “Those people aren’t being paid. We’re being paid handsomely. That’s who I feel the most bad for is our fans and the people who care so deeply in this city…. It sucks as a player to know we aren’t giving fans what they deserve.”
#Texans DE J.J. Watt was asked about how the team can regroup and finish the season next week…well, he did not hold back with his answer.
Impassioned moment from a man very frustrated with what's going on. pic.twitter.com/i1dFUbQagm
— Daniel Gotera (@DTGoteraKHOU) December 27, 2020
The impassioned statement revived reports that Watt may be gone from Houston following this season. As The Inquisitr reported, there is widespread belief that he will be on the trade block at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign, likely headed to a title contender while the Texans move into a more thorough rebuild.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported last month that Watt and other Texans players had been “thoroughly worn-out” by now-former coach Bill O’Brien, who was fired from his role as head coach and general manager following the dismal start to this year. Canfora quoted a source close to the Texans saying it was close to a foregone conclusion that Watt would be gone, and he knows that his time with the franchise is running out while teammates are bracing for his departure.
Canfora added that the 32-year-old has been through some significant pain in recent seasons, hampered by major injuries and increasingly frustrated by the state of his team. He has also made it clear that he is not interested in going through a rebuild at this point in his career, though many believe that is the direction the Texans could be heading.
