Where will JJ Watt continue his career in the NFL?
It’s the question everyone started asking on Friday, as the three-time NFL Defense of the Year Player announced via Twitter that the Houston Texans complied with his request for release.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler quickly released the league and created five “best” teams to hire Watt at a free agency: Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots.
Here’s why Fowler included the Patriots in that group:
I know they are under reconstruction, but this is Bill Belichick’s perfect signature, adding a piece that he can use as a Swiss Army knife on the front. The Patriots have $ 50 million in capitalization space, part of which they will use as a quarterback. But the New England formula starts and ends with defense now, and we are going to bet on a playoff before later.
New England is coming out of its first losing season since 2000 – while Tom Brady won the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, no less – so maybe that will motivate Bill Belichick and Co. to be aggressive in the coming months.
The Patriots enter the off-season with many needs, both offensive and defensive. And while most of the focus will be on New England’s search for a new quarterback, with Cam Newton hitting the free agency after a daunting 2020 year, the Patriots should not be ruled out to go after Watt to increase his passing run.
Watt, who turns 32 next month, finished with just five bags this season, a far cry from the 17.3 he averaged from 2012 to 2015. He’s not exactly the dominant force he was at his peak, perhaps due in large part to the various injuries he has suffered in recent years.
But Watt is an excellent leader, a fierce competitor and someone who is still capable of making an impact in the right situation. Perhaps New England will provide the opportunity he is looking for in the open market.
Miniature photo via Troy Taormina / USA TODAY Sports Images