The Bengals hopes of J.J. Watt unretiring came to an end on Tuesday.
The Cincinnati Bengals lost veteran defensive end Sam Hubbard to retirement on Wednesday morning, a day after their hopes of luring J.J. Watt out of retirement came to an end. The story of Watt potentially unretiring to join the Bengals is quite interesting, though, and involves English soccer team Burnley F.C., which Watt owns a stake in.
Burnley's goalkeeper, James Trafford, is a big fan of the Bengals in the NFL, so back in December, he asked Watt if he'd unretire and join his favorite team. Watt said he would do so if Trafford didn't allow a goal the rest of the season for Burnley. Impressively enough, Trafford went over two months without allowing a goal, but that streak was snapped on Tuesday, prompting a message from Watt on social media.
“Cincinnati, that was a fun ride. Hope you enjoyed getting to know a bit about Burnley & our squad. What an unbelievable run for Traff & the boys. An improbable bond formed from across the pond. Bengals fans are welcome on Turf Moor any time. As for me: A feast & a drink await,” Watt said after Burnley defeated Cardiff City 2-1 on Tuesday.
The three points return to Lancashire 🤩 pic.twitter.com/A9EDUmOMXE
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) March 4, 2025
Bengals looking for help on defensive line after J.J. Watt bet comes to an end
The likelihood of Trafford going the rest of the season without allowing a goal was quite low, but the more impressive outings he strung together, the higher the hopes of Bengals fans got. Unfortunately, the bet came to an end, as Watt gets to continue enjoying retirement, while Cincinnati will have to expand their search for defensive line help.
Hubbard's retirement certainly hurts, but the biggest goal the Bengals front office will have when it comes to their defensive line is finding a way to reach a contract extension with superstar pass rusher Trey Hendrickson. Considering extensions are also needed for wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, that's going to be easier said than done, which sets the stage for a very important offseason in Cincinnati.
