Houston Has a Problem Round 2
JJ Watt and Texans Mutually Part Ways
The city of Houston, Texas has gone through the gauntlet the past couple of years. Not only have they dealt with Covid-19 like everyone else around the globe, but their professional sports teams have taken a major hit. I wrote a few weeks ago about the turmoil in Houston between the Rockets and franchise center-piece James Harden who has since been dealt to Brooklyn. The Rockets also traded away Russell Westbrook as part of the James Harden fiasco.
The Houston Astros not only have dealt with backlash from their cheating scandal, but have now lost two of their star players with George Springer and Gerrit Cole leaving Houston in back to back off-seasons.
Now, the Texans are feeling the heat. As if it wasn’t bad enough for the Texans who traded a once-in-a- generation type wide-receiver in DeAndre Hopkins and now their star quarterback wants nothing to do with the team after a tumultuous season… But the Texans aren’t done yet. They just let JJ Watt walk for nothing. Their prized possession defensive end who wreaks havoc on opposing offensive lines season in and season out (when he is healthy) will be looking for a new home. According to Watt on twitter, he and the team’s owners mutually agreed that it would be best for both parties to cut ties.
JJ Watt has been in Houston his entire NFL career spanning 10 seasons after being drafted with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Here are some of the accomplishments Watt racked up throughout his years with the Texans.
3x Defensive Player of the Year
5x First-Team All-Pro
5x Pro Bowl
2x NFL Sacks Leader
101 Career Sacks (franchise record)
172 tackles for loss (franchise record)
25 forced fumbles (franchise record)
Quite the decorated career for JJ Watt on the field, but what he did off the field is even more impressive.
Raised over $37M
Helped rebuild 1,183 homes
Provided over 239 million meals
Supported nearly 1,000 child care centers and after school programs
There is no question that JJ Watt will have no problem finding a new home somewhere in the NFL. Whoever scoops him up will have an anchor on the defensive line provided he can stay healthy. The Texans should have explored a trade where they could have got something in return, but instead, they let JJ walk for nothing. Yet another head scratching move from an organization that has not made many smart decisions over the past few years aside from firing Head Coach and General Manager, Bill O’Brien.
Now it begs the question of ‘Where will JJ Watt land?’
Many have speculated on teams that could be in the running for JJ Watt’s services. The main team that comes to mind is the Pittsburgh Steelers where JJ could unite with his two brothers TJ and Derek. Other teams include the Green Bay Packers up in Wisconsin where JJ was born and raised and went to college at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Steelers and the Packers seem like early favorites for Watt simply based on his connections with those two organizations. Other teams that could be in the running include; The Super Bowl Champion, Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboy, or Baltimore Ravens.
Bottom line, the JJ Watt sweepstakes is open for business.
