JJ Watt’s free agency is going wild and it looks like teams are queuing up to ink the star for a deal. While Watt has a number of clubs competing for his services, NFL Insider John Clayton reports that the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans are considered the current frontrunners to land the former defensive player of the year. While these three teams are currently being looked at as the leaders in the clubhouse, Clayton notes that the Browns and Raiders among the many teams still in the draws. According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Watt received several offers from teams. The best deal, per Russini, would pay him between $ 15 and $ 16 million a year.
Watt’s interest in the Packers is not a surprise, as he played for the University of Wisconsin, and he is a resident of Pewaukee, Wis., Growing up a Packers fan. The Packers have won the last two NFC championship games and can use assistance on a defensive line that has scored 82 bags in the past two seasons (eighth in the NFL). Adding a player of Watt’s caliber may be enough to get Green Bay to the Super Bowl in a loaded NFC.
The Bills and Watt have shown mutual interest and Buffalo would be an ideal fit for the three-time defensive player of the year. Buffalo plays four lineouts that play Watt’s strong points in the defensive line. Buffalo is another team that reached its conference game last season and set a franchise record with 13 wins in the regular season. The Bills finished last season with just 38 pockets, drawing for 15th place in the NFL, and the addition of Watt would be a big boost for the rush.
It’s a bit of a surprise to see the Titans considered a current leader for Watt, given his ties to the Pittsburgh Steelers (his brothers play there) and Watt allegedly took the Cleveland Browns’ seriousness last week consider’. Tennessee finished last season with just 19 bags, the third-lowest in the NFL, but Watt has a commitment to a large portion of the coaching staff.
Titans head coach Mike Vrabel spent four seasons with Watt in Houston, including his first two as linebacker coach, when Watt won his first two Defensive Player of the Year awards. Titans defense coordinator Shane Bowen was a Texans defense assistant in 2016 and 2017, making Watt more familiar with the defense system.
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Watt has played all 16 games this past season and finished with just five bags, 17 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and 29 hits. He has had just 26.5 pockets in the past five seasons, but his three awards for Defensive Player of the Year are the best in NFL history with Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald.
Watt set Texans’ franchise records in sacks (101.0), tackles for loss (172), quarterback hits (282) and forced fombles (25) to deal with 531 total tackles, 61 passes defended and 16 fumble recovered. Watt is also the only player in NFL history with 20 plus bags and 10 plus passes defended in the same season (2012 and 2014), and is tied for fifth place among defensive lines in league history with six attacks in the ordinary season. He is also the fourth fastest player in NFL history to score 100 bags.