J.J. Watt signs with Cardinals

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Amid widespread speculation about where free agent defensive lineman J.J. Watt will end up, Watt himself dropped the surprise announcement today: He’s a Cardinal.

Watt tweeted a picture of himself working out, wearing an Arizona Cardinals shirt.

In a not-so-subtle statement about some inaccurate rumors that have been floating around about Watt’s whereabouts, Watt made it clear who the news is coming from with two words: “Source: me.”

Watt is reportedly signing a two-year, $31 million contract with $23 million guaranteed.

The Cardinals got off to a good start last season but then fell short down the stretch, finishing 8-8 and out of the playoffs. Watt has indicated he wants to go somewhere he thinks he can win a Super Bowl. The Cardinals wouldn’t seem to be first on that list, but it does allow Watt to reunite with his old friend DeAndre Hopkins, who went from Houston to Arizona last year.

But Arizona will now be the home of one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, and a player who hopes to show he has more left in the tank.

122 responses to “J.J. Watt signs with Cardinals

  1. So he will do for them what he did for the Texans in the playoffs, NOTHING

    in the playoffs J J Watt becomes JJ NOT
    As In NOT showing up.

  2. Averaging about 8 million bucks per game on the active roster. Solid call there redbirds.

  3. Nice call and welcome to AZ JJ. Now, which overpaid talking head called this one…

  4. JJ Watt went to the highest bidder. I will watch closely to see how many call him out for this. Personally I say get your money period.

  5. wischeddar says:
    March 1, 2021 at 12:55 pm
    It was about the money.
    ——————————-
    Why wouldn’t it be? It’s always easy for people to suggest other people take a pay cut. With that said, he isn’t worth $15M per year.

  6. That’s a lot of $$$, isn’t it? For Watt at this stage of his career & with his history of injuries.

  7. So happy that GB didn’t take the bait. Get younger, get stronger, get faster. Watt doesn’t bring any of these attributes.

  8. So in the 2020 league year…

    The Cardinals received: All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, three-time Defensive Player of the Year award recipient J.J. Watt, and a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

    The Texans received: washed up running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-round pick.

    Wow.

  9. Um, i thought he wanted to win? The Cardinals are years away from contending for anything.

  10. Bahahaha!!! No wonder these guys perpetually stay out of contention. Great for JJ to find someone to pay him crazy money to sit on IR.

  11. jjackwagon says:
    March 1, 2021 at 12:55 pm

    I guess I was wrong. I thought he would chase a ring.

    Guess we now know that if he’d wanted a ring with a burning desire, he could have played bigger in 2020 playoffs & other playoffs before then.

  12. It was about the money.
    *****************************************
    And warm weather. Green Bay was just too nippy.

  13. I am glad the Brown’s were just window shopping, Arizona is a good place for him there is no hype about the team and the expectations are low.

  14. It was about the money and the weather. His wear and tear injuries hurt more in the cold.

  15. Chandler Jones will have to be cut. He will go back to NE for $2M/yr plus icentives

  16. You’re getting paid regardless. Now where would I go to play in December’s, Buffalo, Cleveland, Green Bay, or Phoenix? One of these things don’t look like the others, one of these things just don’t belong….

  17. He’s definitely not looking to win a championship. This is about securing his financial future. In that case, why did he get so angry about the Texans losing so much? He was getting paid. I’d rather have a guy who wants to win.

  18. Watt may be a good guy but he’s just another guy chasing the very last dollar. The Browns will remind him of that when the Cardinals play in Cleveland this year. Oh and by the way, fake news had it wrong the whole time on his
    rumored new home..

  19. Way too much for a guy his age: He used to be good but now it’s all about the cash not rings..

  20. Yeah, shame on the Cards for signing a generational player because they are not ready to compete for the SB. BOO on them for trying to get better. Jealous much?

  21. I wish him well. If the Packers want a veteran to help their defense, Richard Sherman is a better idea anyway.

  22. As a Bills fan, Im elated they didn’t get him. No offense to a once great player, but age, cost, injury history made him a bad bargain. Even if he has a great year or two, Id rather take a less risk approach to filling the hole on the d-line.

  23. All of a sudden the over/under on Stafford playing all 16 Hanes went down from 10 games to 7 games.

  24. I don’t begrudge him for the money grab. It sounded like he was interested in a SB ring.

  25. Hoping Watt gets deep in the playoffs … if anything to shut you stupid armchair GMs up.
    Congrats AZ ….

  26. Guy has earned $100M over ten years in the league. Getting at least $23M guaranteed more for two years–not bad at all, with his injury history.

  27. I thought Reggie White was crazy when he signed with the Packers. Turned out to be a pretty good decision for him and the Packers. History will be the judge if this is a good move for them or not.

  28. Have a feeling that the team that finished second to Arizona wasn’t within $10M of what he signed for . Amazing this early in free agency and there’s already a likely winner for the worst contract offered by an NFL team .

  29. Bummer to see him in the NFC West but very happy for the man. Guess the Seahawks are going to need to spend a LOT more on protection for Wilson!

  30. flash1224 says:
    March 1, 2021 at 12:57 pm
    So he will do for them what he did for the Texans in the playoffs, NOTHING

    in the playoffs J J Watt becomes JJ NOT
    As In NOT showing up.
    _________________________________________________________

    Bengals played the Texans in the playoffs early in Andy Dalton’s career. Going completely off memory here, but it felt like JJ wrecked that game and had a pick 6.

  31. Let’s Go! AZ baby! Can taste the bitterness of fans hoping Watt would sign with their team. Candler Jones on one side and Watt on the other….have fun!

  32. i would have gone to the bucs. great great chance of winning the big dance. you don’t need money after a point. go for that RING and IMMORTALITY in a championship

  33. Watt is from Wisconsin and wanted no part of Green Bay. Smart man.

  34. Yup. At that price, most of the other “contenders” couldn’t fit him under the cap.

  35. Packers
    Bucs
    Seahawks
    (Healthy)Niners
    Saints- regardless of QB
    Rams

    ALL better than the Cards He went for the money as was his right

  36. I can’t believe that Arizona is paying that much for a guy who is obviously on the back nine of his career.

  37. Team needs a #2 WR and starting RB and they can compete, def is ok – can improve with Watt and a few more additions

  38. He will be injured and out for the season by the second or third week. Way too much money for someone who injured as often as he does.

  39. It was about the money——————————–
    Well to be fair, after Tampa declined his services the ring was off the table.

  40. Another First Ballot Hall of Famer that will retire without a Ring.What a Shame

  41. Nice pic for him. Chandler Jones will field the most attention so this will free up watt a bit. Cardinals bows have a nice pass rush combo

  42. That’s a surprise. Looks like Watt was chasing the cash and not a ring.

  43. J.J. Watt are you doing signing with the Cards??, i thought you wanted to win a ring?

  44. to those that think he went to Phoenix due to the weather in December, keep in mind that Watt isn’t guaranteed to play in December due to injuries AND the team he is on will be done as soon as the regular season is over……

  45. As a Packer fan I have mixed feelings. Part of me was hoping he would be a Packer and part of me was nervous because of his injury history.

  46. was hoping he would come to the Browns, but doubt we were paying him close to that.

  47. Why wouldn’t it be? It’s always easy for people to suggest other people take a pay cut. With that said, he isn’t worth $15M per year.

    Pretty sure he made note that it wasn’t about the money. Contender, team
    Fit were the things he was looking for. Allegedly

  48. Didn’t see this coming! Heck the Texans could have traded him for a 2nd round pick.

  49. Man, you fans sure know a whole lot. Watt may help get the Cardinals get back into the playoffs. How do so many of you know he went just for the money, just maybe some other team offered more.

  50. There likely wasn’t another bidder, contenders viewed him as ~$7-8m player. Salaries should crash with the cap. The agent floating multiple 16m offers did a good job, at least one team believed them.

  51. I don’t get why Arizona would put up the $$ for Watt like that. They have more of a need in the backfield then in pass rush. Not to mention the offensive line. Bizarre, which is why nobody saw it coming

  52. No state income taxes!! I like the signing by them too. Big upgrade and will sell tickets. But I’m sure it’s about the ego boost for him too.

  53. You lost me at “one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history”
    ———

    I’ll wait while you Google how many players have won multiple DPOY Awards…..

  54. At that salary and level of guarantees it seems like the Texans could have traded him for at least something.

  55. What are the odds in Vegas that he’s on IR before OTAs are complete?

  56. Should’ve signed with the Pats and helped make the D great again under the hoodie. No ring for him.

  57. They better resign Reddick now…….or JJ can just continue to be constantly double-teamed.

  58. It depends if he can stay healthy. $31 million for two years is a little too high, but if he’s healthy then the Cardinals may do a deep run in the playoffs.

  59. Glad the Packers didn’t pay that kind of money for a pretty washed up player.

  60. Some guys are hungry win until the day they retire and others just want to get paid. Clearly Watt wanted the money over a ring…and that’s okay. Some guys aren’t wired to be winners like MJ and Brady. That being said, if he goes to AZ and gets injured or plays lousy, it may affect when he enters the HOF.

  61. Wow 23 million guaranteed. Impressed he got that much with the injury history. Does he make them a SB contender, who knows at this point. The Cardinals got better, but will they wish later they had spent that $$ differently I think the jury is out. Will be interesting when word leaks out what the second best offer was?

  62. Ya know what. GOOD FOR HIM. He’s going to make a last nice payday and he’s out of Houston. I’m not going to throw stones at a guy who can get some more of “hi$” on the back end of a great career. Anybody out there who bangs on J.J. is just jealous.

  63. That Defense is going to be pretty freaking nasty next season. With Watt on that defense that front 7 is loaded up between Chandler Jones, Hasson Reddick and Dennis Gardeck (8.0 sacks) coming off the edge with ILB DeVondre Campbell coming back w/ ILB Isaiah Simmons across from him going into year 2. Along the interior OL AZ also can get after the QB from the interior all day allowing their LBs to clean up between JJ Watt, Jordan Phillips, a healthy Corey Peters back in the middle, Zach Allen going into his 2nd full season and Lexi Fotu/ Rashard Lawerence primed for big years going into their second years. That is a nasty front 7 and I’d think AZ further beefs it up on draft night. Offensively with Kyler Murray playing at an elite levelsl and ready to make a big jump in year 2 w/ AZ looking to draft or sign another #1WR giving AZ another big time play maker across from DeAndreHopkins so teams can’t double DHOP & Christian Kirk that offense will be damn near unstoppable. AZ will win 10-12 games next season and they will be big contenders next season in the 2021 post season.

  64. You guys are so mad lol!! Get your money JJ and its even funnier how all these talking heads were all wrong! Good for Arizona and good for JJ!

  65. If I were him you couldn’t pay me $31mil/season to live in Cleveland, even if it meant a guaranteed SB ring

  66. Watt made $100 mil in 10 years, how is he hurting for cash? Even if $23 mil is $23 mil, weird flex by him, especially on a team that struggled to .500. Even the coup the had by signing Hopkins didn’t push them into the playoffs. But hey, shows that rings aren’t anything important compared to cash.

  67. Crazy giving Watt $2M a game – I like him…but look at his stats

    Last 5 years, Watt had the potential to play in 80 Regular Season Games —— He only played in 48 Games.

    Terrible investment by a mediocre team who wants to “feel like a winner”

  68. Glad Green Bay took a pass on those numbers. Seems like he’s still interested in the pay day over winning. Totally his choice but Arizona ain’t contending.

  69. If he was looking for the money, then mission accomplished.

    Unfortunately from a legacy standpoint, he misses out on a chance for a Super Bowl ring.

  70. I kept having a nightmare of him, Greedy, and Denzel sitting on a bench in street clothes looking at their phones, while the rest of the team was laying it out.

    Hope the Cardinals get their monies worth.

  71. and i thought he wanted to play for a real contender. Word has it that Cleveland & Indy offered more money. And Tennessee offered similar to Arizona.

  72. Surely the deciding factor was the plethora of volunteering opportunities!

  73. Did the Cardinals just want to keep Hopkins happy or something. Makes no sense to pay Watt this much, especially when your team needs a lot more than an aging pass rusher.

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