J.J. Watt could be another NFL star to retire early

J.J. Watt may not be playing in the NFL for as long as fans may expect.

The NFL is facing a new trend of having players retire early on in their careers. Calvin Johnson was the biggest name to retire young since perhaps Barry Sanders, a fellow former Detroit Lion.

With all the new health risks of playing football finally being accepted in mainstream culture, although the NFL may still try to deny concrete facts, players may try to earn as much as possible in the first few years of their careers so they can retire early and stay healthy.

Another star player may be joining Johnson in retirement sooner than expected.

This news will serve to scare Houston Texans fans, but this statement from Watt does not necessarily mean he is on his way out soon. All he said was that he will not be a player lingering around until his body fails him, or until no team will sign him, although the latter seems like it would never happen.

He is only 27 years old, so seeing him retire at any time in the next four seasons seems highly unlikely at this point in time. Once he turns 30 is when the questions of his retirement will become more prevalent.

Watt has been in the NFL for five seasons, but the reveal that he played in 2015 with several injuries may mean his career has already been cut much shorter than it may have been if he had sat out with the injuries instead. But expecting J.J. Watt to sit out would be foolish as he is one of the ultimate gladiators in a sport full of them.

The Texans are led on defense by Watt while they wait for former number one pick Jadeveon Clowney to be the player they expected him to be. If Clowney remains with the team after his rookie contract and Watt retires, the Texans may be disappointed to see the drop-off from one star to a player who was supposed to be one.

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