Despite the best efforts of Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, J.J. Watt will not be suiting up for the Cincinnati Bengals next season.
In December, Trafford and Watt made a playful wager via Instagram DMs. The five-time All-Pro (and Burnley partial owner) would come out of retirement and play for Trafford’s Bengals … if the 22-year-old goalie didn’t concede a goal for the remainder of the season.
However ridiculous the odds, Trafford made an impressive effort at holding his end of the bargain. After the agreement was made, Trafford kept 11 consecutive clean sheets for the club — a streak of just under 1,000 minutes without a goal allowed. Watt himself admitted that he was starting to get a little nervous in January.
On Tuesday, though, the unlikely possibility of Watt playing for the Bengals was officially doomed, as Trafford conceded his first goal in over two months in a match against Cardiff City. Watt was quick to take to social media and crack a joke about Cincinnati’s staple food after the goal.
I don’t like Skyline Chili anyway.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 4, 2025
Despite Cardiff’s goal ending Trafford and Watt’s wager, Burnley still came away with a 2-1 win on Tuesday. The club currently sits third in the Championship table. Watt put out a longer, more earnest post after the victory celebrating the bonds that might have been formed between Bengals and Burnley supporters during Trafford’s run.
