Star defensive end J.J. Watt has signed a two-year, $31 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal includes $23 million guaranteed. This was a big surprise for Packers fans after it was reported they were a finalist along with the Titans, Browns and the Bills.
After the Texans released Watt in February, teams were aggressively trying to sign the three time defensive player of the year before free agency begins in a couple weeks. Earlier today, Watt made the announcement by sharing a picture on twitter with him in a Cardinals t-shirt.
source: me. pic.twitter.com/1Y6okQBUy5
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 1, 2021
The eleventh overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, spent ten years as the face of the franchise in Houston. He won defensive player of the year three times in 2012, 2014 and 2015. However, he’s only played a full season for the second time since 2015. In fact, he’s had only 26.5 sacks in the last four seasons. Furthermore, he produced 50 tackles with 40 of them for loss, along with ten forced fumbles in that time span.
On the other hand, he was ranked seventh out of 108 qualified edge defenders according to Pro Football Focus in 2020. He finished the year with 52 combined tackles, fourteen tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, and two forced fumbles. He holds the Houston Texan’s franchise record with 101 career sacks. The five time pro-bowler and five time first team All-Pro player was the arguably most productive player in Texans history.
He’s signed with an Arizona team that was just short of making the playoffs last year, but is quickly becoming a contending team. There were reports that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson not being happy about being hit all the time. The signing of J.J. Watt definitely makes matters worse.
Russell Wilson said he’s frustrated of getting hit too much. Adding JJ Watt to a division with Chandler Jones, Aaron Donald and Nick Bosa won’t help.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 1, 2021
Why The Packers Didn’t Trade For Watt
Even though there were reports about the team being a finalist to land J.J. Watt, he ultimately signed with Arizona. The Packers front office was in contact with Watt’s agent and were discussing options, but couldn’t make it happen. A week ago, sources said Watt had received an offer that would pay him $15-$16 million a year. Today, we found out that team was Arizona.
The Packers simply could not afford a player like Watt, who can still play at a high level. They are currently $11 million over the cap, with some restructuring left to do. In addition, they have 24 free agents to either re-sign or release. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst has mentioned he plans to be “active” with free agency this offseason. After the Watt signing, we’ll see how active the team will be in March.
The Packers are scheduled to face the NFC west in 2021, so they’ll have to face J.J. Watt and the Cardinals in Arizona. The exact date is yet to be determined as the schedules will be released in April.
Want More Great Content?
Follow me on Twitter @PackerEddyFF, and follow us at @WiscoHeroics1. Check out our shop for new merchandise! Use promo code “WISCO” at checkout for $1 off! To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here.
