Burnley FC partial owner J.J. Watt might have gotten more than he bargained for when he made a joking promise to goalkeeper James Trafford — but the club is thriving because of it.
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Back in December, Trafford — a Cincinnati Bengals fan — reached out to Watt with a long-shot request: Would the former All-Pro defensive end consider coming out of retirement to play for Cincinnati? Watt responded with an equally unlikely preposition — if Trafford went the rest of the season without conceding a goal, he’d do it.
Trafford had put together an impressive season to that point, having allowed just nine goals in 22 league starts. But finishing the season without conceding another? Ludicrous.
The 22-year-old goalkeeper kept a clean sheet the next day in a 0-0 draw with Middlesbrough. He then posted three more in his next three starts, with Watt acknowledging the wager on social media following an impressive outing against Sunderland, in which Trafford saved a pair of late penalty kicks.
This is starting to become a bit of a concern… pic.twitter.com/MrOdjRz2En
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 18, 2025
Since his heroics against Sunderland, Trafford has made seven more starts … and still has yet to concede a goal. All told, he has played just under 1,000 minutes without allowing a goal since Watt made his counteroffer.
Watt, out of either humor or interest in offering more motivation to his club’s young backstop, hasn’t backed down from his end of the agreement — jokingly posting about going to the gym and researching homes in Cincinnati after Burnley’s most recent clean sheet against Sheffield Wednesday.
Didn’t think we’d make it this far… pic.twitter.com/vvzXbbolfK
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 22, 2025
Trafford still has a long way to go before forcing Watt out of retirement, though. Burnley still has a minimum of 12 more league matches on their schedule before their Championship campaign ends.
The overlap between Burnley and Bengals fans likely isn’t especially large. But, with the club currently sitting in third place in the league table, supporters will no doubt be hoping further inspired play by Trafford can help the Clarets push for promotion — and help Cincinnati beef up its defensive line.
