J.J. Watt Comments on How Much Longer He'll Play

Judging by the comments J.J. Watt made Wednesday, the Houston Texans may not have the All-Pro defensive end for as long as they envisioned.

In an interview with Nick Wright and John Lopez of SportsRadio 610 (via CBS Houston's Garret Heinrich), Watt didn't say his retirement is imminent; however, he did reveal he'll only continue in the NFL "until I feel like I can't play at that highest level anymore":

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I can tell you right now that I am not going to be one of those guys that is going to play as long as I possibly can. I have no interest in that. I want to go out there, I want to play at an extremely high level, I want to help my team out and I want to love playing the game and I want to have fun playing the game. I know I don't plan on playing the game as long as I possibly can. It's not going to be terribly longer but I am going to play as long as I can enjoy it and have fun.

"

Watt later clarified his comments on his Twitter account:

Texans fans shouldn't panic. Watt is coming off his fourth straight season of making the Pro Bowl and earning first-team All-Pro honors. He also led the NFL in sacks (17.5) for the second time in his career. Pro Football Focus graded him the second-best (95.7) interior lineman in the league.

Depending on what his definition of playing "at that highest level" is, the 27-year-old Watt should have another three or four years in the NFL at the least. He's signed through 2021, which would be his age-32 season.

It wouldn't be all that shocking if Watt walked away from the game at a relatively young age. Five-time All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis retired at 30 before the 2015 season, while Calvin Johnson, one of the best wide receivers of his generation, retired at the same age this offseason.

Especially with more attention being drawn to the long-term risks of playing football, the playing careers of the game's biggest stars may become shorter than the generations before them.