JJ Watt, the greatest player in Houston Texans history, became the third member of the franchise to be inducted into the team's Ring of Honor during halftime of Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With his family looking on, Watt watched as his name and number was officially placed in the Texans' Ring of Honor. Watt joins Texans co-founder Robert C. McNair and former receiver and teammate Andre Johnson to receive the honor.
Immortalized in Texans history pic.twitter.com/l1dzr37Ri7
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 1, 2023
"I've got a lot of love flowing through my veins right now, and all that love is directed towards the Houston Texans," Watt said during his induction speech. "We've been a whole lot together. I came in and I didn't know much about you and you didn't know much about me. But over the last 12 years, we've been through some incredible highs and we've been through some unfortunate lows, but we've always done it together. We've always done it as one, and we've always done it as a family. And I couldn't be more thankful to have a family like I do in Houston, Texas."
"H-Town, I love you" – @JJWatt 🤘 pic.twitter.com/AEE4p5IOWf
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) October 1, 2023
Watt, who joined CBS Sports as an NFL analyst in retirement, helped put the Texans on the map upon his arrival in 2011. As a rookie, Watt helped lead the Titans to the franchise's first playoff appearance and postseason victory. Houston made the playoffs four more times during the decade while Watt established himself as one of the best defensive players in league history. The former Wisconsin Badger won three Defensive Player of the Year awards over that span while setting franchise records with 101 sacks and 25 forced fumbles.
A future Hall of Fame player, Watt's greatness served as a source of inspiration for younger brothers Derek and T.J. Watt, who later joined him as NFL players. T.J. Watt, who joined JJ as a DPOY award winner in 2021, has a unique appreciation for how good his big brother was during his time in Houston.
"I was spoiled to be able to watch him play," T.J. told CBS Sports this summer. "He was getting 1-2 sacks, three TFLs a game, batting passes every single game. It just seemed so normal that I took it for granted.
"When I got to the NFL, it wasn't until then that I realized how hard it is to do what he's been doing his whole career. I just have a great amount of respect for him and everything that he's been able to accomplish, because it is so hard to succeed at this level."