“I had been training slightly differently” - J.J. Watt gets candid on potentially coming out of retirement due to bet with Burnley star

J.J. Watt will not be coming out of retirement to play for the Cincinnati Bengals. Watt had recently made a friendly wager with Burnley FC goalkeeper James Trafford in December.

Watt, who is a partial owner of English soccer club Burnley, bet Trafford that he would come out of retirement to play for Trafford's favorite NFL team, the Bengals, if the goalie went the rest of the Championship season without allowing a goal.

Speaking to BBC Sport this week, Watt said he was prepared to uphold his end of the bargain as he had begun training differently as the months rolled on and Trafford continued his streak of clean sheets.

“My wife came up to me, she said, ‘You're not serious about this, are you?’" Watt said. "And I said, ‘Well, if he [James Trafford] truthfully goes 24 matches straight without letting in a goal, that will be one of the greatest performances in the history of sport, and I would be ridiculous not to honor my side of it, that's the bet.

"So, I had been training slightly differently for about three weeks leading up to the goal, and I did take a day off after the goal.”

The 22-year-old goalie nearly held up his end of the bargain, recording 11 consecutive clean sheets for the club. However, on Tuesday, the streak came to an end during Burnley's game against Cardiff City when Yousef Salech scored a goal in the 42nd minute. It was the first Trafford had conceded in over two months.

J.J. Watt immediately poked fun at one of Cincinnati's staple foods after the goal, posting on X:

Despite the goal, Burnley still managed to win the matchup 2-1. The club is in the third spot on the Championship table and aims to return to the Premier League next season.

J.J. Watt was fully committed to a potential return if Trafford completed historic run

In February, J.J. Watt was fully committed to the idea of returning to the gridiron to follow through on his bet with Trafford. Speaking on "The Dan Patrick Show" a month ago, Watt said he was ready to follow through and was in shape to get back on the field.

“If he does that, which is insane — I mean, there’s 12, 13 games left — if he does it, it’s insane enough and respectable enough that I will absolutely follow through,” he said. [15:19] “I’ll go out there. Who knows if they even want me? I don’t even know. I haven’t talked to them. But I’m in shape; I’ll go play.”

J.J. Watt is one of the greatest defensive players the game of football has seen. With over 100 career sacks and even some receiving touchdowns on his resume, the three-time former NFL Defensive Player of the Year would've been a welcomed addition to the Bengals roster. It looks like, for now, Watt will remain retired.