Peter Schrager shares effusive praise for J.J. Watt: ‘He’s having fun with it’

J.J. Watt has seamlessly become one of the top color analysts in the sport more quickly than anyone could’ve possibly expected, including CBS.

The network’s succession plan is working exactly as intended. CBS bet that Ian Eagle would elevate any partner, much like he did with Charles Davis and Dan Fouts before him. But it would’ve been unrealistic to expect Watt and Eagle to click this fast, this naturally, just three weeks into the NFL season.

Yet there they were in Foxborough, celebrating the 50th anniversary of The NFL Today, with Eagle sporting a mustache straight out of a Burt Reynolds fever dream while Watt couldn’t keep it together behind vintage glasses. The former Texans and Cardinals defensive end couldn’t keep his pants together either — literally — thanks to a booth ceiling that was apparently designed for someone considerably shorter, but that’s beside the point.

The point is that his authenticity hasn’t gone unnoticed. And people in the business are already taking notice of what Watt is building in his partnership with Eagle, as praise is coming from those like Peter Schrager, who knows what good broadcasting looks like and sounds like

“From a sports media standpoint and a football media standpoint, my winner of the week is my guy, J.J. Watt,” Schrager said on Omaha Productions’ The Schrager Hour. “Did you guys see what J.J. Watt looked like in that opening, calling that Patriots-Steelers game? J.J. Watt in this whole 1970s NFL Today thing, and they bring back [Brent] Musburger, and [Nate] Burleson has this new haircut and a look, and Matt Ryan has a look.

“J.J. Watt went the next level because he’s in the broadcast booth. The studio show’s done. You don’t need to do anything. You don’t have to do lead into this. Just call the game; you’re good. I saw the other broadcasters there. J.J. Watt brought out this 1970s look with the fluffy hair and the glasses that make him look like he was the evil boss from ‘Office Space,’ but that’s somehow a 70s thing. J.J. Watt bought in.”

That willingness to buy in represents everything Watt is doing right. While other former players treat broadcasting like an extension of their playing careers — serious, guarded, obsessed with appearing authoritative — Watt understands that television is entertainment first. When Eagle welcomed viewers to the broadcast and Watt immediately burst out laughing at his partner’s mustache, calling it a “lip sweater,” it was perfect TV because it felt completely natural.

Most former players spend years trying to sound like experts. Watt just sounds like himself, and that’s why it works.

“I’ve been really enjoying J.J. Watt on these broadcasts,” Schrager continued. “He and Ian Eagle are a fantastic tandem as the No. 2 team for CBS. And that Patriots-Steelers game got really good, and it was really suspenseful late. And J.J. Watt was on it. So, he looked the part, he sounded the part, and he’s having fun with it. He could easily be in the studios and having a very nice situation there, but he’s like, ‘I want to go on the road every week. I want to call these games. I want to touch the grass.’ I appreciate that from J.J. Watt.”

And J.J. Watt appreciated that from Peter Schrager.

“Appreciate the kind words, Schrags, truly means a lot,” he wrote on X. “I’m very grateful to have a job that I look forward to every single week and of course thankful to have such an incredible team to work with.”

Too many former players take the comfortable studio gig, where they can discuss football in broad terms without having to master the specific skills required for calling games. Watt chose the harder path, and it’s paying off because he’s treating it like the challenge it is.

J.J. Watt may have split his pants calling a game, but he’s not splitting the difference on his new career. He’s all-in, and it shows every Sunday.