The NFL and NFLPA are still in the midst of negotiating the necessary safety protocols needed to carry on with a 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
If the two sides agree on one particular stance, the league could very well lose out on one of its biggest stars.
Houston Texans star J.J. Watt has no interest in playing in 2020 if players will be forced to wear face shields. The 31-year-old told Pro Football Talk he wouldn’t be on the field if face shields are required.
“My second year in the league, I thought it would be cool,” Watt said. “I put a visor on my helmet. I was like, ‘It looks so cool, I want to put a visor on.’ I had it on for about three periods of practice and I said, ‘Take this sucker off, I’m going to die out here.’ Just the face one.
“So now you want to put something around my mouth? No. You can keep that. If that comes into play, I don’t think you’re going to see me out there on the field.”
A five-time Pro Bowl pick and five-time All-Pro selection, Watt has racked up 479 tackles (158 for loss), 96 sacks (265 quarterback hits), 23 forced fumbles (15 recoveries) and one interception (54 pass breakups) while starting all 112 games he has played in throughout his first nine NFL seasons.
Watt only played eight games in 2019, recording 24 tackles (four for loss), four sacks (21 quarterback hits) and one forced fumble (two recoveries).
