Getty Nick Bosa pass rushes on January 8, 2023 in Santa Clara.
The San Francisco 49ers not only ended the Arizona Cardinals’ season with a 38-13 trouncing on Sunday, January 8, but put a cap to the illustrious career of J.J. Watt.
Yet after the game, this exchange was captured by the 49ers’ social media team involving Watt and the 49ers’ top edge rusher and sack artist Nick Bosa.
Nothing but respect 🤝
Watt can be overheard telling Bosa “Good luck to you, congratulations.” Fans immediately looked at that exchange as the passing of a torch moment between the future NFL Hall of Famer Watt and the NFL’s leader in sacks.
“That was one great one passing it on to the next great one!” said fan Daniel Terrill when responding to the 49ers’ clip.
Another fan used a torch gif to describe the moment between Watt and Bosa.
@49ers @JJWatt @nbsmallerbear And the torch has been passed to the next DPOY 👍🏾
Bosa Praised Watt Before the Game
Watt announced on December 27, 2022 that this season would be his last in the league. Which therefore meant that Watt’s final NFL game ever would be against Bosa’s 49ers.
Bosa said before the Week 18 finale that Watt was someone he looked up to when studying pass rushers and defensive ends.
“I obviously watched him growing up,” Bosa said to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday, January 5. “He’s one of the best ever. He’s kind of like a one-of-one kind of guy. You’re not going to get too much [from watching him] unless you’re him.”
Bosa added how he was impressed with Watt’s towering and massive stature as a defender who played at 6-foot-6, 290-pounds for most of his NFL career. But he added how he was a fan of Watt’s game and how he beats blockers.
“He’s just a ginormous,” Bosa said, “and plays with great extension, gets off guys, he can play anywhere along the line.”
While Bosa has emerged as the new leader of the sacks department — a title Watt held twice in his career — Bosa still gave Watt his praise on the dominating run he delivered in the league.
“You can’t argue he was dominant,” Bosa said. “He was just better than everybody.”
Watt Gives Postgame Reaction After 49ers Game
Watt’s final numbers tallied as this: Five tackles, three solo stops and, in classic Watt fashion, two sacks.
His first one came under the 8:30 mark of the first quarter on Brock Purdy:
JJ WATT TAKE A BOW 😭
And the final sack he made in his career occurred in the third quarter — which the Cards called the “curtain call.”
Curtain Call.
At 9:13 p.m. Eastern, Watt shared one last message from Levi’s Stadium.
“Sometime in the coming days I’ll find the right words. But for right now, all I can say is thank you. You’ve changed my life forever and I am perpetually grateful,” Watt shared on Twitter.
Outside of Bosa, other members of the 49ers took the time out to give their praise and congrats to Watt. Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle were two 49ers captured by the Cardinals’ Twitter account talking to Watt:
The Cards additionally captured 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner and T.Y. McGill as defenders who took a postgame picture with Watt.
Nothing But Respect.
The 49ers, meanwhile, made this classy gesture: Posting this tweet:
Congrats @JJWatt!
Cheers to an incredible career on and off the field 👏
