The Houston Texans, fresh off a breakout 2023 campaign, appear to be quite loaded heading into 2024, and much of that is due to the work of their general manager Nick Caserio. The Texans front office has gone out and made huge moves for guys like Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, and Joe Mixon already, and while they largely appear to be done adding to their roster, there are some rumors floating around suggesting that a comeback involving legendary pass rusher J.J. Watt could be in the works.

Watt retired after the 2022 campaign, but not before he solidified his spot as one of the greatest sack artists in the NFL’s storied history. Watt accomplished quite a bit during his tenure with Houston, and with their team appearing to be absolutely loaded heading into 2024, some have wondered whether he would consider unretiring. When asked about this, Caserio didn’t seem to take it all that seriously, but he also didn’t exactly shut the door on a potential return for Watt.

“I’m not going to speak for him about what he wants to do relative to playing football, I’ll let him disclose that on your show…It’s very early, it’s May, the season doesn’t start until September and then you’ll look at players the end of October, November case by case. Between him and Brady, we’ll see who jumps back in first.” – Nick Caserio, The Pat McAfee Show

Could J.J. Watt make a comeback with the Texans?

Former Houston Texans player J.J. Watt speaks to the crowd after being inducted into the Texans Ring of Honor during the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Watt struggled with injuries throughout his career, and by the time he retired, he wasn’t exactly the player he once was. Still, he proved he could be productive, as he racked up 12.5 sacks in the 2022 campaign with the Arizona Cardinals, proving that he could still wreak havoc when he needed to. If he wanted to chase that elusive Super Bowl, which was about the only thing he didn’t manage to win in his career, he could have a chance to do so with the Texans if he wanted to now.

Houston has a solid front seven on defense, with Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. leading the way on the line. So with them eating up the majority of the snaps, Watt could come back and be something of a pass-rush specialist for the Texans as they look to shore up their defensive line. Plus, who wouldn’t love to see Watt back on the field sacking quarterbacks for Houston again?

While that sounds great in concept, it’s not likely to happen, which Nick Caserio seems to acknowledge with his comments here. However, you can never say never in the NFL, and it seems like something the Texans would be open to if Watt wanted to come back for one final run. Nothing seems imminent as of right now, but this may be a storyline worth keeping an eye on moving forward.