Former Houston Texans star JJ Watt cannot join his brothers at the Pittsburgh Steelers. But he can come to AFC Norte.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Watt is “seriously considering” a contract with the Cleveland Browns. Because, according to sources she has, the Browns have a salary cap ($ 21.7 million, the 10th best in the NFL), along with a “strong support cast and a positive environment”.
Cabot says the Cleveland management was quick to call Watt representatives to express interest.
In terms of layout, Watt would be a clearer fit in the 4-3 in Cleveland than in the 3-4 in Pittsburgh. In addition, Myles Garrett would still require most of the blocking attention in the opposite end position. Not to mention that Browns defender Olivier Vernon is a free agent and broke an Achilles tendon at the end of last season.
That said, when I saw a lot of smoke about Watt leaning towards Cleveland, my first thought was that it was just a Watt agent ploy to get the Steelers interested.
In other words, the Steelers might not have been inclined to increase their already wage cap situation just to hire Watt. But perhaps general manager Kevin Colbert would change his mind if failing to do so would mean seeing him twice a year in the division.
Who knows? Perhaps that will make TJ Watt less inclined to sign a contract extension and expect the free agency to go to Cleveland too.
Exaggerated to be sure. I can’t see why TJ Watt would mess around with long-term security and money upfront with a large contract extension now, just to wait until the free agency so he can stay with JJ in Cleveland for a year or more.
But, hey, what agent is above giving in to the NFL’s rivalry paranoia?
Another reason I doubted the story at the beginning was the angle of the cap space. I mean, the three-day narrative since Watt’s release was that he didn’t care about money. He gave a ton to charity. He has won over $ 100 million. I thought he just wanted to play with his brothers or play for a Super Bowl contender.
So, I talked to Matt Thomas of SportsTalk 790 in Houston. And he’s getting the same vibe about Cleveland as a potential Watt landing spot. And he believes the Browns’ spending flexibility is a big problem.
“I would assume that JJ would listen (the Steelers),” said Thomas. “But frankly, I think JJ is thinking, ‘I have maybe two or three years left. I need to earn as much money as possible. ‘I would like to lean towards teams that have some wage cap space … I had a feeling on the show on Tuesday that JJ Watt is going to be a Cleveland Brown. “
Thomas has many other reasons why he thinks the Browns are a good option for Watt. He agrees with my belief that the scheme plays a role in Watt’s thinking. He also defends the theory that adding a little defense is exactly what the Browns need to perhaps reach the Super Bowl outside the AFC next year. And Watt has yet to come close to a Super Bowl.
In addition, Thomas believes that Watt may not want to follow the easy path that everyone expects him to choose Pittsburgh or Green Bay, just because of the obvious family connections. That Watt may simply still want to do his own thing.
You can listen to our entire conversation, which also features many conversations about Deshaun Watson’s blurred situation on Wednesday’s podcast.
Listen: Tim Benz and Matt Thomas of SportsTalk 790 in Houston discuss possible landing sites for JJ Watt
Tim Benz is an editor on the Tribune-Review team. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets can be posted again. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.
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Sports | Steelers / NFL | Breakfast with Benz