Arizona Cardinals have signed J J Watt on a contract spanning two-years, a statement by the team said on Monday. The deal is rumored to have cost about $31 million, with $23 million in guarantees.
J J Watt himself had indicated about the signing much before the team did with a series of tweets. The tweets included photos of him and his wife with Cardinal’s owner Michael Bidwill. A later tweet by his former teammate in Texans, DeAndre Hopkins also showed a photo-shopped picture of both of them in Cardinals colors.
What J J Watt Brings To The Cardinals
Watt, now 31, had been with the Houston Texans for more than 10 years. He was released in February on his request. Since being drafted by the Texans in 2011, Watt had been a monumental player for the team. In his career he has won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards, has been selected five times for Pro Bowl, and five times for the first team of All-Pro. He has 101 sacks to his name which is the highest in Texans history.
In Arizona, J J Watt will be playing under defensive coach Vance Joseph, who was with him for his first three seasons with the Texans. He will also now be playing with Chandler Jones. He has 97 sacks since 2012, the highest number of sacks in the NFL. Watt has 95.5.
However, Watt’s addition did very little to change the odds in favor of the Cardinals. With 6-1, they remain the lowest of the lot to win the NFC.
Watt had a ranking of 15 out of the 119 official pass-rushers in the 2020 season. His season included 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, as well as an interception that was converted into a touchdown. Injuries have shadowed him since 2015 allowing him to play 16 games in a season only two times.