CBS Sports has announced that three-time defensive player of the year J.J. Watt has joined the network on The NFL Today. Watt will serve as an NFL studio analyst across the network’s various platforms beginning with the start of the National Football League season.
“We are thrilled to welcome J.J. to the CBS Sports family and add one of the greatest defensive players of all time to our team,” David Berson, president of CBS Sports said in a statement. “As he steps off the field after a Hall of Fame career, J.J. brings deep passion, unique insights and opinions from today’s NFL. We think fans will love what J.J. brings to our coverage.”
Watt was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft and recently concluded a storied NFL career. In 2017, Watt was named the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, highlighting his commitment to setting a positive example for football fans around the world. On the field, he was a five-time NFL First-Team All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl selection, along with the winner of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times. Additionally, Watt is the only player in the history of the game with multiple seasons of at least 20 sacks.
“I love the game too much to be away from it entirely,” Watt said in a statement. “I’m very excited to be joining CBS Sports to contribute across all their NFL shows and platforms, including working alongside and learning from JB, Coach, Boomer, Phil and Nate this fall. Hopefully fans will enjoy insights and knowledge I’ve gained over my 12 years in the NFL and if we’re lucky, we’ll share a few laughs along the way as well.”
Watt was reportedly in talks with various broadcast networks before making the decision to join CBS Sports. Awful Announcing reported last month that NBC Sports was in talks to acquire Watt for its Big Ten Conference coverage and potentially have a role on Sunday Night Football. Now, Watt will be joining CBS Sports and its NFL studio crew bringing fans his unparalleled insight and expertise of the game on a weekly basis.
