J. J. Watt has been released from the Houston Texans as he is entering his eleventh year in the NFL. Over the course of his time there he has been a 3x DPOY, 5x First-team All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowler, and 2x sack leader. He is also deeply rooted in the Houston community through his foundation which has done and continues to do amazing things. However, his time has come to an end in Houston and there will be a change of scenery for him. Many teams will be trying to get their hands on Watt as he searches for his first elusive Super Bowl ring!
Landing Spot Predictions…
Pittsburgh Steelers:
To no one’s surprise, one of the top places being speculated for Watt’s future is with the Steelers. He would be joining his brothers and T. J. has already done recruiting on Twitter. Furthermore, he would be a perfect veteran complementary piece on the Steelers defense. With the addition of Watt, this already top-five defense will only see improvement and depth. What makes this even more attractive for Watt is the position they are in to push for a Super Bowl. The Steelers are a few pieces away to take them over the edge to challenge the Chiefs and Bills as AFC champions. As he is aging and looking for his ring, the Steelers give him a realistic chance to do so while playing with his brothers.
The issues that may prevent this from happening will be cap space and more attractive winning teams. The Steelers are going to have to restructure contracts this offseason to retain pieces and gain new ones. This may make it more difficult to sign J. J. Watt since there are more important pieces the Steelers need. Furthermore, if the Steelers fail to find answers to the issues they had during the postseason, it makes the Steelers a less attractive option.
Greenbay Packers:
J. J. Watt was born and raised in Wisconsin and it would not be surprising if he would like to play football there. Along with Wisconsin being his home, the Packers are still in a position to be Super Bowl contenders. They have been to the NFC championship two years in a row and have not been able to get over the hump. J. J. Watt would be a valuable addition to the pass rush and could be exactly what the Packers need to get over the hump. Furthermore, they have Aaron Rodgers. After putting an MVP season together and taking a devastating loss to the Buccaneers, he is looking to put together a SB run in 2021. Watt would be providing Rodgers another veteran who is hungry to chase a ring to add to their resumes.
Buffalo Bills:
A sleeper place for J. J. Watt to head to is Buffalo. In terms of having the opportunity to head to a team ready to win now, there are very few better places. The Buffalo defense is already a force that is tough to deal with and adding a pass rusher is needed. The Bills totaled 38 sacks and ranked 15th in total sacks by the end of the season. J. J. Watt provides a few extra sacks that will lead to them ranking as a top ten pass rush. With Josh Allen continuing to improve and their coaching staff continuing to do great work, Watt is the veteran leader they can utilize. Overall, this seems to be a good fit for both parties, especially with the Bills having a very open Super Bowl window for the next few seasons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
The reason why this is attractive is obvious. They just won the Super Bowl, have Tom Brady leading them, and the great Florida weather. For J. J. Watt, this is one of the best places to go if your goal is a ring. The issue that J. J. Watt may have will be him playing fewer snaps during the season. The Buccaneer’s defensive line is stacked with talent. However, this is still an attractive destination for him due to his injury history over the last few years. His playing less will lead to fewer injuries for him to deal with. Ultimately, Tampa would be a great place for him to chase his ring and keep his body safer during these next few seasons.
New England Patriots:
Finally, another attractive place to land would be with Bill Belicheck. The Patriots dealt with many players opting out and issues on the offensive sides of the ball. However, with pivotal players such as Dont’a Hightower back, the defensive will be even deadlier. Furthermore, the Patriots have plenty of cap space to fix the issues they have had offensively all season. Overall, this situation is similar to Pittsburgh. Watt would be joining a great defense with question marks offensively. The main difference is that the Patriots have plenty more holes to fix offensively. However, they have the cap space to make big changes. Finally, having one of the greatest defensive minds in Bill Belicheck coaching is a great attraction.