Burnley FC Partial Owner JJ Watt may have been more than he negotiated when he joked with the goalkeeper James Trafford -But the club is thriving for it.
Back in December, Cincinnati Bengals fan Trafford contacted Watt on a long-term request. Will the former All-Pro defensive side consider coming out of retirement to play for Cincinnati? Watt responded with an equally unlikely preposition – if Trafford did the rest of the season without acknowledging a goal, he would do it.
Trafford put together an impressive season at that point, allowing only nine goals in the start of the 22 leagues. But will you finish the season without acknowledging something else? Slippery.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper held a clean sheet with Middlesbrough in a 0-0 draw the following day. He then posted three more on the next three starts, with Watt admitting his stakes on social media following an impressive outing against Sunderland. A slow penalty kick.
This is starting to get a little worried… pic.twitter.com/mrodjrz2en
– jj watt (@jjwatt) January 18, 2025
Since his hero against Sunderland, Trafford has made seven more starts…and has yet to acknowledge his goals. He played just under 1,000 minutes, without allowing a goal since Watt made the counter offer.
Watt has not stepped back from the end of his contract due to his humor and interest in providing more motivation to the club’s younger backstops. Sheffield Wednesday.
I never thought we would make it this far… pic.twitter.com/vvzxbbolfk
– jj watt (@jjwatt) February 22, 2025
But Trafford still has a long way to go before he kicks Watt out of retirement. Burnley has more than 12 more league matches on the schedule before the championship campaign ends.
The overlap between Burnley and Bengals fans is not particularly large. However, with the club currently sitting third at the league table, supporters are undoubtedly hoping that further inspired plays by Trafford will help Clarett seek promotion.
