JJ Watt's latest comments stoke speculation of potential Texans return in 2024

Somehow, out of nowhere, we all conjured up a JJ Watt Reunion story.

It started innocuously enough last week, when Houston GM Nick Caserio made a joke during a press conference about Watt having an open invite to rejoin the Texans if he feels like he still has some football left in him. The team's been busy upgrading their edge rushers, but you can never have too much pass rushing, it's JJ Watt, etc. It was a fun little throwaway moment.

But apparently it wasn't? Because when speaking to media at a recent charity event, Watt gave an interesting and surprisingly candid answer when asked about whether he ever is tempted to come back.

"I'm a very fortunate, lucky man. I have a beautiful wife, I have a beautiful son," he said. "I've had 12 great years in this league, and I'm very thankful to have walked away healthy and playing great. 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.' And he knows not to call unless he absolutely needs it."

"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. But I don't anticipate that happening. They've got a very good group."

That ... certainly doesn't sound like someone who's trying to stop the speculation. He sorta tried to walk it back at the end of the video, but even that is only like, 35% convincing. And while it's true that any sort of Watt return means that something's gone horribly wrong on the defensive line this year, it's hard not to be a little excited about the idea of Watt returning for a playoff run. Everyone gets one re-do, JJ Watt. No one would judge you.