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Money speaks louder than anything, so the Cardinals probably didn’t have to “pull out all the stops” to get JJ Watt. But they did it just to make sure the defensive end felt their love.
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim joined The Rich Eisen Show on Tuesday to discuss the landing of the free agent’s big fish.
“Well, as soon as it was officially released, immediately took a look at the movie and has not evaluated it in several years for obvious reasons, ”said Keim. “I played the tape. I played over a thousand snaps, all 16 games, and refreshed my memory that he still looks like JJ Watt, which was exciting. Disruptive. The speed is still there. Powerful. It has a great repertoire of rush maneuvers. Not only that, but he also did investigative work and talked to guys like Hop [DeAndre Hopkins] and other people I knew who worked for the Texans organization. Obviously, Vance Joseph, our defensive coordinator, once trained JJ in Houston. So, I had some intimate knowledge. The fact that I have this information, along with the tape I saw, gave me the opportunity to contact [agent] RJ Gonser, and tell him our level of interest. “
The Cardinals apparently made the highest bid, with Watt signing a $ 31 million contract for two years. But the team also made every possible effort to ensure that Watt would choose Arizona over Titans, Colts, Browns and anyone else.
Keim recruited comedian Frank Caliendo and American country singer Blake Shelton to help recruit Watt.
“We made the first offer after a few days,” said Keim. “Again, really when you look at JJ’s story, the guy was never recruited. A walk-on in Central Michigan. The way he went, I think it was probably very exciting for him to have several teams recruiting him. I certainly pulled all the stops. Guys like our friend Frank Caliendo and Hop and even his new jingle Blake Shelton. “
So, what did Caliendo say to Watt?
“He probably impersonated Jon Gruden and said that Steve Keim was interested and did some kind of funny business,” said Keim. “I don’t know what he did. He was my son’s football coach, and he sucks at it. He lives on the corner of our facility and is a good friend, as you know, he is always willing to help. “
Shelton made a recruiting video.
“He is not a fan of the good weather. He’s betting, ”said Keim.
After Watt announced that he was joining the Cardinals, Shelton tweeted: “Congratulations @JJWatt and welcome to @AZCardinals, my man !!! I will be answering all questions on behalf of Steve Keim. his first statement is as follows .. ‘Other teams can suck‘. “
“I’m always trying to keep it at the G-rated level, but Blake kind of has a mind of his own,” said Keim, laughing.