It's official, JJ Watt won't be coming out of retirement. For the past two months, there had been a chance that the three-time defensive player of the year was going to return to the NFL in 2025 over a bet he made,

The dream of JJ Watt coming out of retirement to join the Cincinnati Bengals is officially dead. Watt's friendly wager with Burnley FC's goalkeeper James Trafford is now over after Trafford conceded his first goal in 14 matches.

The Cincinnati Bengals have placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Tee Higgins for the second straight year. Higgins announced the news Monday by posting on X, "tag." The Bengals later announced the move, stating they did so "with the intent of continuing to work toward a long-term deal in Cincinnati" with Higgins.

The Bengals designated Tee Higgins "as the team's franchise player, with the intent of continuing to work toward a long-term deal in Cincinnati."

Copyright © 2025 Bleacher Report, Inc. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved.

J.J. Watt will not be coming out of retirement to join the Cincinnati Bengals after James Trafford's string of clean sheets comes to an end.

J.J. Watt won't be coming out of retirement to join the Cincinnati Bengals, after all. Watt had recently doubled down on the promise he made to Burnley F.C. goalkeeper James Trafford, in which he vowed to return to the NFL and play for the Bengals if Trafford managed to avoid conceding a goal for the remainder of the season.