JJ Watt’s free agency is running wild and the teams appear to be lining up to mark the star’s passage to an agreement. Although Watt has several clubs competing for his services, NFL Insider John Clayton reports that the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans are seen as the current favorites to get the former Defensive Player of the Year. Although these three teams are seen as leaders in the club at the moment, Clayton notes that the Browns and Raiders are among the many teams still in the raffle. According ESPN’s Dianna Russini, Watt received several offers from teams. The best offer, according to Russini, would pay him between $ 15-16 million a year.
Watt’s interest in the Packers comes as no surprise, considering he played for the University of Wisconsin and is a native of Pewaukee, Wisconsin – in addition to being a fan of the growing Packers. The Packers reached the last two games of the NFC championship and could use a little help in a defensive line that has registered 82 sacks in the last two seasons (tied for eighth in the NFL). Adding a player of the Watt caliber may be enough to take Green Bay to the Super Bowl in a loaded NFC.
The Bills and Watt showed mutual interest and Buffalo would be an ideal choice for the defensive player three times a year. Buffalo plays with four strikers, which contributes to Watt’s strengths on the defensive line. Buffalo is another team that reached its championship game last season, breaking a franchise record with 13 wins in the regular season. The Bills ended with just 38 sacks last season, tied for 15th place in the NFL, so adding Watt would be a big boost for the passing race.
It’s a bit surprising to see the Titans being seen as Watt’s current leader, considering his ties to the Pittsburgh Steelers (his brothers play there) and Watt supposedly “seriously considering” the Cleveland Browns last week. Tennessee ended with just 19 sacks last season, the third lowest number in the NFL, but Watt has a connection with most of the coaching staff.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel has been with Watt in Houston for four seasons, including the first two as a linebacker coach – when Watt won his first two Defense Player of the Year awards. The Titans’ defensive coordinator, Shane Bowen, was a defensive assistant with the Texans in 2016 and 2017, which means more familiarity for Watt with the defensive system.
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Watt played all 16 games last season and finished with just five sacks, 17 hitting strikes, two forced fumbles and 29 pressures. He has only 26.5 sacks in the past five seasons, but his three Defensive Player of the Year awards are tied for the most in NFL history with Lawrence Taylor and Aaron Donald.
Watt set Texans franchise records in sacks (101.0), loss tackles (172), defender hits (282) and forced fumbles (25) to go with 531 tackles in total, 61 defended passes and 16 fumble recoveries . Watt is also the only player in NFL history with more than 20 sacks and more than 10 passes saved in the same season (2012 and 2014), and is tied for fifth among strikers in league history, with six touchdowns in the regular season . He is also the fourth fastest player in NFL history to reach 100 sacks.