Cardinals DE J.J. Watt’s cleats for final game tribute his journey

Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt posted photos of the cleats he will wear in his final NFL game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, and the custom design pays tribute to not only his playing career but his life.

The three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year announced Sunday will be his final NFL game after a 12-season career, and he will commemorate his football journey and loved ones on the field.

Journey of a thousand stories.

🙏🏼#DBWH pic.twitter.com/OEE2akq9Wy

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 7, 2023

The cleats include photos of his family, including a shot taken with his son, Koa, at Watt’s final home game in Week 16 and Koa’s first NFL game. The defensive end was moved that his newborn son was able to attend a game.

The shoes are also covered in inspirational words, places of meaning and jersey numbers he wore at different times in his life. Among the numbers were No. 99 from the Cardinals, Houston Texans and Wisconsin Badgers and No. 9 from his days at Pewaukee High School.

He captioned his tweet of the cleats, “Journey of a thousand stories.”

Tribute to Pat Tillman

One of the first things Watt did as a Cardinal was visit Pat Tillman’s locker.

He tweeted, “a true honor to walk the same halls” with a picture in front of the display at the team’s training center in Tempe.

Watt showed support to Tillman once again on Saturday as the team flew to Northern California in Sunday’s season finale with a shirt of Tillman’s No. 40.

For Pat ❤️ pic.twitter.com/lNPpqtuBPY

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 7, 2023

Tillman was born in the Bay Area, near the 49ers’ home in Santa Clara.

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