Future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt has officially signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. According to ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter, the deal is worth $31 million with $23 guaranteed.
The 31-year old was released by the Houston Texans back on February 12th after he requested to be released.
Ian Rapoport of The NFL Network reported that there were 10 or more teams that were interested in signing Watt. As time went on, Watt began the process of eliminating teams from the sweepstakes including the Titans, Browns, and even the Bills.
The three-time defensive player of the year ended up taking the most money that was offered him, according to Rapoport. The vibe around the league was that teams were looking to pay Watt more around the $10-11 million per year range.
Watt will be reuniting with Arizona defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who was also with Watt for his first three years in the league. Watt is also joining his former Texans teammate DeAndre Hopkins.
The Cardinals will now have two elite pass rushers in Chandler Jones and Watt. Since Jones entered the league in 2012, he has more sacks than any other player with 97, while Watt is second during that same time period with 95.5.
This signing is also a bit surprising due to the fact that the Cardinals are in a tough position with the cap this offseason. Arizona could restructure Jones’ deal to lower his cap number and extend his contract for additional seasons.
Arizona also needs to figure out how they’re going to handle the situation with pass rusher Haason Reddick, who is a candidate for the franchise tag. Reddick had a breakout year with 12.5 sacks last season after the Cardinals declined his 5th-year option.
Cornerback Patrick Peterson is also a player that might be forced to hit the free agent market if the team can’t afford to keep him. Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said that there will be “tough decisions” with Peterson, Reddick, Kenyan Drake, and Larry Fitzgerald.
Sounds like an exciting signing for the Cardinals, but there’s a lot more moving pieces that need to be figured out of the Cardinals want to make a deep run in the playoffs.
More from The Woody Paige Sports Network:
- Woody Paige: That time I played blackjack with Michael Jordan in Monte Carlo
- Atlanta Falcons lose by accidentally scoring a touchdown
- Woody Paige: Denver Broncos could become NFL’s version of New York Knicks
- Cartoon: 2020 settled the debate — Tom Brady was more important than Bill Belichick
- John Elway’s 7 best moments as General Manager of the Denver Broncos
- Woody Paige: Drew Lock still the most likely starting QB for Broncos in 2021
- Cartoon: Colorado Rockies — A dumpster fire like no other
