Glendale, Arizona - JJ Watt, one of the most dominant defensive NFL players in history, has officially decided to walk away from the gridiron at the end of this season.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year smoothly slipped his retirement announcement into a tweet about his newborn son on Tuesday.

"Koa’s first ever NFL game. My last ever NFL home game," he wrote.

"My heart is filled with nothing but love and gratitude. It’s been an absolute honor and a pleasure."

The tweet featured pictures of Watt with his son Koa and his wife Kealia at Arizona’s last home game of the season over the weekend on Christmas Day.

After an illustrious 12-year career on the football field, Watt is projected to become a clear-cut first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Just one of three players ever to be named the Defensive Player of the Year three times, Watt's resume of honors includes seven All-Pro selections and five Pro Bowl selections.

In 2011, Watt was drafted as the No. 11 pick by the Texans, with whom he spent the first 10 seasons of his career.

Holding the franchise record in sacks (101), forced fumbles (22), tackles for loss (172), and quarterback hits (282), Watt led the NFL in sacks in both 2012 and 2015.

His 20.5 sacks in both 2012 and 2014 makes him the only player in NFL history to have multiple 20-sack seasons. His 111.5 career sacks rank fourth among currently active players, and he has racked up 9.5 sacks this season.

Among past injuries he has fought through, he revealed in October he was battling atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm.

Watt will play his final games in the NFL on the road, starting with the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday and followed by the San Francisco 49ers on January 8.