Reacting to the J.J. Watt signing with the Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals signed one of the top NFL free agents on March 1st, 2021. In a surprising move, former Houston Texans legend J.J. Watt has agreed to a two-year, $31 million deal with $23 million guaranteed, which will take his talents to the desert. A future Hall of Fame inductee, Watt will reunite with an old teammate in DeAndre Hopkins. He’ll also have an opportunity to work with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, another familiar face from his days in Houston.
The conjecture and media hype surrounding the decision of this superstar was enormous. As recently as February 26th, the rumored “favorites” were the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans. The Cardinals were rarely mentioned as being amongst one of the candidates as a destination for Watt.
Despite accumulating one of the best resumes in NFL history, Watt has never won a Super Bowl. For that reason, he expressed interest in playing for a contender in 2021. Watt believes Arizona is positioned to make a deep playoff run sooner rather than later. While the Cardinals showed signs of promise in 2020, the NFC West is a notably competitive division. The Seahawks are perennial contenders thanks to star quarterback Russell Wilson and the Rams are all-in after recently acquiring quarterback Matt Stafford. Even the division-worst team (according to 2020-2021 win-loss counts), the San Francisco 49ers, were in the Super Bowl just two years ago.
There are certainly reasons for optimism surrounding the Cardinals entering the 2021 season. Franchise quarterback Kyler Murray appeared to have taken a step forward in his development at times during his second season. The offseason acquisition of the aforementioned Hopkins a year ago was one of the best trades made in recent history.
Adding Watt, to play alongside Chandler Jones, should also help boost the development of linebacker Isaiah Simmons, to help form a strong defensive core. Combined with young whiz kid Kliff Kingsbury, the Cardinals now have the makeup to be a perennial contender for the next couple of seasons.
While Watt attracts all the glory and accolades, having won NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times, his tag team partner Jones very quietly has also begun to accumulate a Hall of Fame type career. In fact, only Jones (97) has totaled more sacks than Watt (95.5), since 2012. This is the type of dynamic duo that could help propel Arizona to the Super Bowl.
Arizona needed to make a significant move to distinguish itself in a crowded division. While he is not the player he once was, Watt both fills a need and gives the Cardinals a major boost both on the field and in the locker room. While Arizona was in the conversation to draft a 3-4 defensive end (perhaps even in the first round), the organization has now freed itself to bolster different position groups with its early selections. By the end of the 2021 offseason, Arizona could be a serious threat in the NFC.
The Cardinals are clearly hoping to contend in 2021; a legend like JJ Watt can help a team take that step in more ways than one.
https://www.twitch.tv/nfldraftbible
QB | RB | FB | WR | iWR | TE | LT | RT | OG | OC | DT | NG | 3-4 DE | 4-3 DE | 3-4 OLB | 4-3 OLB | ILB | CB | iCB | FS | SS
