Piece By: Adam Maman
Depressing as it may be, the Houston Texans are done for the next couple of years. After shipping away Deandre Hopkins for a bag of peanuts and a used tissue, everyone knew the Texans were diving into full swing “Tank Mode”. After winning their division, and completing a 10-6 season in 2019, the Texans decided they were done, charging headfirst into a 4-12 season. This 6 win drop from their previous year left the players on their team wondering what the future would look like. J.J. Watt, however, didn’t trust that the Texans weren’t going to win a championship any time soon. After reports from Jeremy Fowler, Senior Reporter at ESPN, stated that J.J. wanted to take his talents to a true contender, fans everywhere began theorizing where he would end up.
March 1st, 2021. The day that J.J. Watt tweeted a picture of himself in Arizona Cardinals merchandise. A day so intense, and so powerful, that will burn in the minds of Houston fans everywhere. This date, the first day of March, is said to have the gift of turning teams that haven’t made the playoffs since 2015, into Super Bowl contenders. Wait, what. Yes, while the Cardinals had Kyler Murray, Deandre Hopkins, and a plethora of talent, there is no denying their record last season. I don’t care if you have Jesus playing every position on the field at once, because at the end of the day a team’s record is all that really matters. Having gone 8-8 last season, and missing the playoffs, people knew the Cardinals fell short of their true potential. Don’t get me wrong, the Cardinals are a great team, however, they were only a “Playoff Contender” last season, not a “Championship Contender.”
So the real question is……...why did J.J. Watt join the Cardinals?!
To be honest, I only see two real answers to this question. The first being, that with the addition of J.J. Watt to their team, the Cardinals have now become a championship contender. With Pro-Bowl Linebacker Chandler Jones returning from a bicep injury in 2020, the Cardinals are going to have one of the best Line-Backer cores in football, let alone gaining J.J. Watt as an edge rusher.
This, combined with the talent they have on offense, could potentially form a very dangerous team, that I believe will make the playoffs easily. But can they win a Championship? In 2020, the Arizona Cardinals ranked 6th last season in total offensive yards, while placing 13th in total defensive yards for the NFL. With the addition of J.J. Watt, the Cardinals will certainly have a better defense, however, they still won’t be the best. With teams like the Steelers, Rams, Saints, and 49ers all certain to remain ahead of them when it comes to defense. And with no additions to their offensive front, so far, I cannot say that the Cardinals are a true-championship contender.
Can they make a playoff push, and get themselves far in the post-season, yes. Are they truly a Championship contender, probably not.
I don’t see them ranking any higher than 5th in offensive yards or points scored this coming season, and I don’t see them ranking higher than 8th for defense either.
In case you forgot, I said that there are only two real reasons why J.J. Watt would join the Cardinals. I believe the only other reason, besides getting a ring, would be to get a better paycheck. Typically when players enter the tail end of their career, they want to get themselves a championship, to solidify themselves in the record books. This, or they want to get a paycheck and set themselves up for retirement after they can’t play anymore. With J.J. Watt earning himself a 2-year-deal, worth about $31 Million. J.J. Watt, however, isn’t making any more than he did with the Texans. With his 6-year, $100 Million contract extension he signed in 2014, J.J. Watt made about $16.67 Million a year. In other words, his 2-year, $31 Million dollar contract is only worth about $15.5 Million a year. Do you see what I’m getting at here? J.J. Watt clearly wasn’t chasing a bigger contract, because if he was, he would have gotten one.
While the Cardinals only went 8-8 in 2020 and missed the playoffs, I do believe they will be a championship contender. Just not in 2021. Having signed a 2-year deal, rather than a 1-year contract, I think J.J. Watt himself would agree with this too. The Cardinals area very young and talented team, and if they make the right moves in 2021, they are definite championship contenders for J.J. Watt’s last year with them.
So, to give you the answer you have been waiting for. I believe J.J. Watt signed with the Cardinals to win a championship in 2022.