JJ Watt Responds to Thirst Tweets Over Shirtless Photo: ‘Still Got It’

NFL legend JJ Watt might have hung up his football cleats, but he certainly hasn’t retired from the gym. 

Watt’s impressive physique was on full display earlier this year when he casually posted a shirtless photo via X showing off his massive quads and godlike upper body. 

The image of Watt, 35, sent social media into a tizzy, with comments like, “Easy man, my wife is on this app” and “You’re a freak of nature.”

In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, Watt joked that he knew exactly what he was doing. 

“You know, some days you’re feeling good and the lighting is good,” said Watt, who spoke to Us via his partnership with Old El Paso. “Some days you’re proud. You’re retired and you’re like, ‘I still got it.’”

Watt retired at the end of the 2022 season after 12 years in the NFL with the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals. 

While Watt admittedly leaned into the thirst trap nature of his sweaty snapshot, he was surprised at just how much commotion it caused. 

“It turned into something much bigger than I anticipated it would,” he said. “But that’s literally the only reason I’m working out now. I just want to look good and feel good because nobody cares anymore if I squat or bench 405 [pounds]. It doesn’t matter. I just want to look good now.”

Watt also has son Koa, who turns 2 this month, to thank for helping to keep him youthful during his post-playing days. 

“The most rewarding thing is family time,” gushed JJ, who shares Koa with wife Kealia Watt. “I have so much time to spend with my family. Having that mental and physical stress off me from playing, I can just truly sit back and enjoy my time with Koa. I can wake up with him in the morning, I can take him to school, play with him in the afternoons and put him to bed. We just have so much fun with him every single day.”

Recently, JJ was also able to spend some quality time with brothers TJ Watt, a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Derek Watt, a former NFL fullback, as part of Old El Paso’s “Watt Can Taco” competition, which found JJ acting as judge as TJ and Derek attempted to transform their favorite foods into tacos. 

“Of course, we turn everything into a competition so it got very heated very quickly on that set,” Watt revealed. “They both very much wanted to win. I was trying to play it as straight and honest as I could. It was a great competition. We made it a lot of fun.”

To find out who won and get in on the Old El Paso action yourself, click here.