Houston Texans to induct J.J. Watt into Ring of Honor
The Houston Texans will induct franchise legend J.J. Watt into their Ring of Honor on Oct. 1, the team announced on Monday.
Watt will be the third member of the Texans Ring of Honor, joining the team's late founder Robert C. McNair and former wide receiver Andre Johnson.
The official induction ceremony will take place at halftime of the game against the team Watt's younger brother, T.J., plays for − the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Watt won three Defensive Player of the Year awards and earned five All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in 10 years with the Texans. The defensive end is Houston's career sacks leader with 101, 44 more than second place finisher Whitney Mercilus, and fifth in career tackles with 409.
"We are so excited to have J.J. Watt join the Ring of Honor as our third member. Everybody knows how much J.J. means to our family, the Texans organization and the entire City of Houston," Texans owners Janice, Hannah and Cal McNair said in a statement. "He is one of the most dominant players in NFL history and he created a unique and irreplaceable bond with our fans. J.J. has always kept a special place in Houston's heart and we're thrilled to welcome him back. On the behalf of the entire organization, we can't wait to give J.J. and his family the celebration he deserves on October 1st."
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Watt's tenure in Houston got off to a blistering start with 20.5-sack performances in two of his first four seasons (2012 and 2014). He also recorded 39 tackles for loss in his second year, the most in the NFL that season, and finished second in MVP voting in 2014.
The Texans drafted Watt in 2011 with the overall 11th pick. In 10 seasons with Houston, he became the franchise leader in quarterback hits, multi-sack games, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries, according to the Texans. Watt left Houston in 2021 for two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before retiring in December 2022.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: J.J. Watt to be inducted into Houston Texans' Ring of Honor
