CLEVELAND, Ohio – JJ Watt has a chance to approach the $ 17.5 million he left in Houston, says a report.
ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported on Thursday morning that Watt received several offers, with the best in the range of $ 15 million to $ 16 million a year, by sources.
She did not specify which team offered so much. The Browns are one of several teams in the Watt mix, and one of the only teams strongly attached to it with enough space for the lid. Other teams that have expressed interest or believe they are interested are Green Bay, Pittsburgh, Tennessee and Las Vegas. The cardinals also said they would ask questions about him.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also reported late on Wednesday that Watt narrowed his choices, but ‘nothing is imminent’.
On Sunday, the Browns were still in the mix because they have a lot of things Watt is looking for, including potential for the Super Bowl, a good quarterback, a good support cast and money, a league source told Cleveland.com.
Of the teams most linked to Watt so far, the Browns are 14th in the NFL, with $ 27.66 million in cap space for their first 51 players, according to spotrac.com, the Bills are 20th with $ 4.5 million , Titans are 21st with $ 2.30 million, Packers are 25th with $ 4.5 million over the limit, and Steelers are $ 6.029 million over the limit.
The Steelers may be opening up a lot of space in the team soon, when they reinstate Ben Roethlisberger’s contract, which team president Art Rooney II said in a statement on Tuesday was the “next step” in the process of returning as holder in 2021.
Roethlisberger, who is expected to earn a $ 15 million bonus on March 19, is expected to earn $ 19 million in 2021, but has a $ 41.25 million limit. If the two sides agree to a restructuring, which Roethlisberger said he is willing to do, Steelers will have an opportunity to reinforce their support cast with some new attackers and perhaps a new running back.
This does not mean, however, that they would be able to pay TJ and Derek Watt’s older brother, who could earn $ 12.5 million to $ 17.5 million a year, depending on the length and structure of the deal.
The teams are currently in the process of releasing players and restructuring contracts to reach the limit, which is expected to reach around $ 185 million by the beginning of the league year, on March 17. The minimum cap was increased last week from $ 175 million to $ 180 million.
If the Browns do not land Watt, they will consider other important pass-rushers, such as Von Miller, Carl Lawson, Trey Hendrickson, Leonard Williams and Haason Reddick to replace Olivier Vernon, who finished with nine sacks last season before suffering a tendon break. Achilles at the end of the season.
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