JJ Watt swore broadcasting was not for him. A few years after joining CBS, he is suddenly sitting on the doorstep of one of the biggest jobs in NFL television. What started as a way to stay close to football has turned into a rapid climb few saw coming.
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Just last year, CBS promoted him to the network’s No. 2 team to cover NFL games alongside Ian Eagle after spending his first two seasons in the studio with The NFL Today. Now, ahead of the 2026 season, Watt has been temporarily promoted to CBS’s lead NFL team alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson. His temporary promotion, however, comes with a caveat.
“Tony Romo is on leave from his role at CBS Sports until further notice,” the network said in a statement.
Watt is now set to replace Tony Romo on CBS’s No. 1 NFL broadcast team. Romo was recently arrested after an OWI incident on Interstate 43, with authorities saying he performed poorly on field sobriety tests. CBS has since placed him on indefinite leave, while his court appearance is scheduled for September 21.
That opened the door for CBS to temporarily move JJ Watt onto its No. 1 NFL crew. The 37-year-old is now set to call the Week 1 Vikings-Packers matchup, and Front Office Sports reported that Watt could already be the favorite to keep the role permanently. Still, Watt made it clear he is not exactly celebrating the circumstances that created the opportunity.
“Haven’t said much because it’s not the circumstances you’d hope it would happen under, but I’m incredibly excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with a legendary team in Jim Nantz, Tracy Wolfson, Jim Rikhoff and the entire CBS lead crew,” Watt wrote on X. “See you in Minnesota!”
Watt joined CBS after retiring from a 12-year NFL career, most of it spent with the Texans. Broadcasting was never part of his plan, but staying close to the game changed that. So when Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy asked what he could learn from Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson on CBS’s top crew, Watt kept it simple. “Everything.”
“I’m so excited,” Watt added. “A three-time Emmy winner. You’ve got a Hall of Famer. It’s an opportunity for me to work with the absolute best of the best at the highest level in the business. I would be naive to not ask questions. To not try to improve myself. But at the same time, bring things to the table to hopefully make them enjoy working with me also. So far it’s been a lot of fun. Jim and I did a practice game yesterday. We called a game together. It was a lot of fun. Great chemistry. I’m only looking forward to more.”
For now, Romo has not publicly addressed the OWI arrest, and his future at CBS remains uncertain. CBS Sports president and CEO David Berson called it an “evolving situation” that the network is still investigating. Romo was heading into his 10th season with CBS, but with his role now in limbo, Berson has made it clear he is excited about Watt stepping in.
“He understands the medium of television. He understands the medium of social media. He’s very quick, very clever, very smart, very hard-working,” Berson told McCarthy about Watt. “After a couple of years in that capacity, he and I had conversations about another opportunity for him to further grow and challenge himself. We decided, ‘Let’s go the game route.’ I think he had an outstanding year last year, he and Ian. I’m really, really proud of what they did.”
The early reviews backed CBS’s faith in Watt. Awful Announcing praised his natural chemistry with Ian Eagle, while Peter Schrager pointed to his comfort, personality and sharp football analysis. It was an early sign that Watt was quickly growing into the booth.
Schrager was especially positive about the pairing, saying, “I’ve been really enjoying J.J. Watt on these broadcasts. He and Ian Eagle are a fantastic tandem as the No. 2 team for CBS.” He added that Watt “looked the part, he sounded the part, and he’s having fun with it,”
“When this opportunity came up, we had a conversation to see if it would be the right fit, understanding we don’t know the duration. But J.J. is a competitor. He wants to help our team wherever he can. He’s up for any challenge. He was like, ‘If that’s what you want, I’m all for it. Let’s do it.'”
That is where things stand for CBS’s No. 1 NFL crew. With Romo sidelined indefinitely, Watt is stepping into his seat. Whether that becomes a permanent move, and what comes next for Romo, is still up in the air.