J.J. Watt after a Dec. 13, 2022 game. J.J. Watt after a Dec. 13, 2022 game. (Patrick Breen/The Arizona Republic, via USA Today Sports.)
By Sam Neumann on

Well, it finally happened.

On Thursday, CBS Sports announced that J.J. Watt agreed to a multi-year deal with the network, to serve as an NFL studio analyst across all platforms. Watt, who reportedly had several network NFL TV offers on the table, elected to join CBS over the likes of NBC and NFL Network.

Though at first, Watt jokingly tweeted that he was joining “CVS.”

Awful Announcing reported last month that NBC was hoping to land the recently retired Watt for its Big Ten studio road show and subsequent coverage, with him being an obvious fit having played at Wisconsin. Watt would have also likely had a significant role on Sunday Night Football as well.

But that’s no longer in the cards, as Watt will make his first appearance on CBS on THE NFL TODAY in Week 1.

“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,” said CBS Sports President David Berson. “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.”

“I love the game too much to be away from it entirely. 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,” said Watt. “Hopefully fans will enjoy the 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.”

The New York Post’s Andrew Marchand reported earlier this month that Watt was expected to be on the pregame show for the Super Bowl and make some appearances during the regular season. It’s worth noting that this is a Super Bowl year for CBS, so adding someone of Watt’s caliber is certainly a big get for the network.

[CBS Sports]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann