JJ Watt thought that his response to a request from James Trafford on December 28 was unrealistic. The Burnley goalkeeper contacted the former rusher of the NFL Pass, which is Also a minority owner in the clubWith a simple request: Do you want to get out of retirement to play for my beloved Bengals from Cincinnati?
Watt, 35, Retired in 2023 After a 12 -year NFL career with the Texans of Houston and the Cardinals of Arizona who saw him win the defensive player of the year of the NFL three times. Not thinking of playing again, Watt told Trafford that he would only do it if the goalkeeper had not authorized a goal for the rest of the season.
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The next day, Trafford stopped three shots in a 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough. The clean sheets kept coming, but the promise almost collapsed in a relentless draw with Sunderland in January when Trafford stopped two penalty kicks.
This performance not only prevented Burnley from dropping a point, but also maintained the promise alive, which Watt recognized on social networks by publishing the demand for traffic from December.
After the 4-0 victory of Burnley against Sheffield last Wednesday last Friday, Trafford has now displayed 12 consecutive league leaves – 11 since his conversation with Watt, who spent time last week looking for at Cincinnati Real Estate.
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The last time Trafford granted a goal is December 21 during a 2-1 victory against Watford.
“I'm going to do it,” Watt said to Dan Patrick this week. “If he does it, it's crazy enough for me to follow absolutely. I'm going to go there. Who knows if (the Bengals) will even want me. I don't even know, I haven't talked to them. But I'm in good shape. I'm going to play.”
Watt added that he had never deposited retirement paper with the NFL, so he is not sure of the process of leaving retirement if Trafford continues his laundry sequence. (Watt did Say in May that he said The chief coach of the Texans Demeco Ryans if he needed help, to call him.)
Manchester United holds the longest series of consecutive clean sheets in English football after not having conceded a goal in 14 consecutive games during the 2008-09 season. Burnley still has 13 games to play on his calendar, including a FA Cup match against Preston North End on Saturday.
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“I hope it happens, but the chances that it happens is extremely thin,” Trafford told Sky Sports last week.
A return of the NFL may not be the only thing Watt will celebrate at the end of the EFL championship season in May. Burnley is currently in third place, two points behind Sheffield United for a place of automatic promotion at the Premier League. There are 12 championship games left with the possibility of playoffs if they end between third and sixth place.
