Although he is about to turn 32 and has just recorded the lowest single season sack total of any season in which he was able to play a full list of games, JJ Watt is in high demand. The ex-Texans face, released by Houston last week, seems like a good bet to close a multi-annual pact in a short time.
Over the weekend, Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci suggested that the Bills, who were among the teams linked to Watt shortly after his release, are unlikely to make a great free agent sneeze in this off-season. Instead, Carucci said he expects Buffalo to use most of his money in an extension to QB Josh Allen, which would keep the club out of the hunt for major free agents like Watt.
However, Kimberley A. Martin of ESPN reported that the Bills actually inquired about Watt and that the interest is mutual (Twitter link) Carucci sources confirmed this, saying the Bills and Watt’s agent Tom Condon have been communicating. Interestingly, Condon also represents Allen, so maybe he and Buffalo GM Brandon Beane can work hard in the next few days.
Watt wants to join an opponent with a first-rate quarterback, and the Bills, fresh out of an AFC Championship Game appearance, certainly qualify. But there are about six teams that remain in the race, including Browns, Titans, Steelers and Packers, and they all made the postseason in 2020. So, while Carucci hears that Watt may start to narrow his list in the next few days, it’s difficult find a real leader at the moment.
It is easy to see why the Bills are seriously considering Watt. Besides the fact that he is seen as a good match with the team culture that Beane and the head coach Sean McDermott helped create in western New York, the Bills were only 20 in the league in defender pressures last season, and their two defensive ends, Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison, are 32 and 33, respectively. Sure, Watt is not far behind in terms of age, but while Watt qualified as the seventh best defender in the league last year according to the advanced metrics of Pro Football Focus, Addison was No. 78 ED.
The accounts are well over the limit, so, theoretically, they could release Addison to create a little more than $ 6 million in space and then apply that money to a Watt contract. Spotrac projects a two-year, $ 24 million deal for the five-time First Team All-Pro.
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