J.J. Watt says he'd come out of retirement to play again if Texans 'absolutely need it'

In just one season as head coach, DeMeco Ryans turned the Houston Texans from a team that went 3-13-1 in 2022 to a 10-7 division champion. No wonder the excitement level is so high in Houston. (And the team's bold new uniforms don't hurt, either.)

Even former Texans star J.J. Watt is thinking this year's team could be something special. Special enough, perhaps, to want to be a part of it.

At his charity softball game on Saturday, Watt hinted he'd be willing to come out of retirement if he could help push the team over the top.

"I’ve had 12 great years in this league and I’m very thankful to have walked away healthy and playing great," Watt said. "I told DeMeco last year, I said, ‘Don’t call unless you absolutely need it, but if you ever do call, I’ll be there.’"

Watt, 35, played 10 seasons in Houston from 2011 to 2020, earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors three times during that span. He also played two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before announcing his retirement .

However, he said he's still in good enough shape physically if Ryans does want to make the call.

"This is the last year I’ll tell him that, because I’m not going to keep training the way I’ve been training, but he knows that if he ever truly does need it, I’ll be there for him," Watt said, before adding, "I don’t anticipate that happening − they’ve got a very good group."

During Watt's 10 seasons in Houston, the Texans won six AFC South titles, but never advanced past the divisional round in the playoffs.

Last season under Ryans, the Texans won the AFC South title and defeated the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round , but lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional playoffs.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: J.J. Watt says he'd come out of retirement to play again if Texans 'absolutely need it'