J.J. Watt won't send letter to NFL confirming retirement

Luckily for Watt, filing a retirement letter is strictly ceremonial nowadays in the NFL. According to a 2019 report from Pro Football Talk, the NFL no longer utilizes "retirement papers." In the past, doing so was necessary for players to access the league's pension benefits, but that's no longer the case. 

What Watt will do with the next stage of his life is anyone's guess. However, one career that's off the table for Watt is coaching. Following the Houston Texans hiring DeMeco Ryans as head coach, rumors began to swirl that Watt would soon join the team's coaching staff. Earlier this week, Watt threw cold water on the scuttlebutt on the Pardon My Take podcast. 

"I'll pop in and talk to the boys, and I'll watch practice, and I'll talk to them, but no, I have no interest in the hours and the time commitment and going to the Combine and going to the Senior Bowl and doing all these things," Watt said.

Watt closed out his career in style, finishing with 12.5 sacks, his highest total since the 2018 season (16.0). The 33-year-old walks away from the game after 12 seasons with the Texans and Arizona Cardinals. A five-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro, Watt recorded 586 tackles, 114.5 sacks, and 27 forced fumbles over 151 career games.