J.J. Watt is living life in the fast lane these days. And for a guy whose career was stuck in neutral at this time a year ago, waiting for the NFL lockout to end, the experience is a welcome relief.
Watt, the former University of Wisconsin defensive standout, has seen his offseason media, sponsorship and fan obligations skyrocket after completing a stellar rookie campaign with the Houston Texans. Though the Pewaukee, Wis., native spent this week training at his hometown gym NX Level in Waukesha, he won't be in town for long.
Watt said his travel itinerary between now and the start of training camp in late July includes stops in New York, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Wisconsin and back to Houston.
"My life is a lot busier," Watt told FOXSportsWisconsin.com this week. "There's a lot more obligations, a lot more requests. I have to do a lot of traveling, a lot of events. That's cool for me. It's an honor. It means that I'm playing well and people want to see me. It's just a little bit more time management, balancing act, but it's a good problem to have."
Watt, a 6-foot-5, 288-pound defensive end, tallied 56 total tackles with 5.5 sacks during his rookie season. He also recorded a highlight for the ages in helping Houston win its first playoff game in franchise history, 31-10, against Cincinnati.
Just before halftime, Watt broke a 10-10 tie by intercepting Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton, batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage and returning the pick 29 yards for his first NFL touchdown.
"I got a chance to score a touchdown in the NFL playoffs. You can't beat that," Watt said. "As far as individual things go, that's my football career highlight by far."
Though Watt's future is bright, his newfound personal responsibilities haven't deterred him from maintaining a strict training regimen. When Watt is home, he still works out with NX Level owner Brad Arnett — the same trainer who helped sculpt Watt's body three days a week in high school at 6 a.m. before class.
"It's just about keeping it real for him," Arnett said. "When he's here, I treat him as the J.J. I've known since he was 17 years old. If it wasn't like that, I think he would kind of look at me cross-eyed. He's a very loyal person from the standpoint of he never forgets his roots. I think he kind of expects that out of me."
Watt's workouts with Arnett last summer helped prepare him for when the NFL lockout ended on July 25. Watt, the 11th overall draft pick of the Texans, started all 16 games as a rookie and made good on the first of a four-year, $11.23 million contract he signed.
"He just never stopped working," Arnett said. "He always had goals and he was never going to let anything get in the way of him accomplishing that."
Watt's list of goals has only increased as he's seen success in the NFL.
"The first goal is to win the Super Bowl," Watt said. "That's our goal as a team. Then for myself, I want to establish myself as an elite defensive end in the league and as a very dominant player, so that's what I'm working towards."
The 23-year-old Watt spent part of February and March training with Arnett, and he likely will return for one more week of workouts in July. Arnett said the two focused this offseason on weights, mobility and core strength and backed off from some running components.
"I was really careful not to just do things to do it," Arnett said. "It was just a much slower approach since it was a way longer season for him. It's a much more brutal season.
"There's high expectations for him now. And when he shows up, he's got to be ready to go and perform. He knows that he's at a level that as long as he maintains it, that's all he needs. He's got to maintain the little things that will allow him to play better and stay within who he is as a player, and he'll be fine."
On Thursday morning, Watt worked out with a group of high school athletes at NX Level and said he hoped his presence could serve as motivation for others. Watt said he grew up idolizing Chris McIntosh, an offensive tackle from Pewaukee who played for the Badgers and was drafted in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks in 2000.
"Just knowing and seeing that someone form this area and our city can make it to the big time, I think that's good for them," Watt said. "For me, it was Chris McIntosh. I saw that he got to make it from Pewaukee, and so that was my motivation. Hopefully, I can be somebody else's motivation."
Certainly, Watt is a busy man these days. But his success as a football player has always been predicated on maintaining priorities, and he doesn't intend to change those priorities despite his increased fame.
"It's going to be a whirlwind," Watt said. "There's a lot going on, but I'll make sure I get my work in."
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