JJ Watt told reporters on Tuesday that there were many reasons why he chose to sign with Arizona Cardinals after hitting free agency for the first time in his 10-year career in the NFL. What he did not reveal was the celebrity that Cardinals general manager Steve Keim used to use to sell Arizona to the former Texas star. Appearing in “The Rich Eisen Show, “Keim said he used country singer Blake Shelton – as well as a handful of other big names – to help recruit the three-time Defense Player of the Year.
“When you look at JJ’s story,” Keim told Eisen, “the guy was never recruited. (He was a) beggar in Central Michigan. The path he took, I think, was probably quite exciting for him to have a series of teams recruit him. I certainly pushed all the obstacles. “
The guys he asked for help: Shelton, Watt’s former Texan teammate DeAndre Hopkins, and impressionist comedian Frank Caliendo.
Grammy-nominated nine times, Shelton has long praised his Cardinals fandom and celebrated Watt’s signature on Twitter this week. Keim said “he is going to do some recruiting videos for me” because “he is not a fan of the good weather … he is all in”.
Caliendo, on the other hand? Apparently, he coached one of Keim’s sons in flag football and lives nearby, so he offered to help.
“He probably impersonated Jon Gruden and said that Steve Keim was interested and made some kind of funny deal,” said Keim. “He is always willing to help.”
Help, he did.
No word yet on whether Watt has upcoming shows in Blake Shelton’s music videos and Frank Caliendo’s comedy specials.