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JJ Watt did something that many players have never done. He made his own free agent announcement.
“Take control of your own narrative,” said Watt, through Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.
No reporters were alerted and the Cardinals did not win. The defensive end did not take any chances, even using subterfuge in ordering his shirt.
Watt ordered t-shirts for the last “four or five” teams in his search, ensuring that he would be ready at the time of the decision. But Watt, aware that news of the extension of Patrick Mahomes’ record with the Chiefs last summer leaked through a liquor store clerk, took no chances.
In fact, Watt went to great lengths to ensure that no one at an Amazon distribution center added two plus two. He asked his brother’s high school friend to order the T-shirts with his friend’s credit card and ordered the delivery to be at his friend’s house to divert anyone from his pursuit.
“This is kind of funny,” said Watt. “It’s kind of stupid too, but whatever.”
It worked like watt gave his own news on social networks Monday, posting a picture of him under a small bar while wearing a Cardinals shirt.
“We kept everything very quiet,” said Watt. “There were a lot of rumors and reports. It was fun to sit and watch it all unfold. In the end, when I decided that Arizona was the right place, we realized how quiet it really was in that respect. “
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim put Watt across the court, using celebrities Frank Caliendo and Blake Shelton to court Watt. Nor did it detract from the fact that Arizona apparently made the biggest offer, as Watt signed a $ 31 million contract for two years.