J.J. Watt was released by the Houston Texans and now enters 2021 free agency, so which NFL landing spots would make the most sense for the former All-Pro?
The growing dissatisfaction within the Houston Texans organization has clearly reached a fever pitch and, while the NFL world waits for a Deshaun Watson trade, another cornerstone of the franchise is now gone. On Friday, the Texans and five-time All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt mutually agreed to part ways and the 31-year-old was effectively released thereafter.
Watt has been a star throughout his career since Houston selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. He’s a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year with 101.0 career sacks and 172 career tackles for loss. Those numbers even include three seasons that saw him play a combined 16 games.
It’s clear that the state of the Texans organization led to this as Watt has been an ambassador for Houston. So following the news of his release, he delivered a statement to confirm and say goodbye via Twitter.
Houston, I wanted you to hear this directly from me... pic.twitter.com/YqT3P6Lb6l
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 12, 2021
So now J.J. Watt is available on the 2021 free agency market. Set to turn 32 years old in the next month or so, let’s take a look at five NFL teams that would be terrific landing spots for the defensive star. Note: All salary cap information courtesy of Over the Cap.
J.J. Watt free agency landing spot No. 5: Pittsburgh Steelers
This is the landing spot that everyone is going to be immediately suggesting and it’s not hard to see why. J.J. Watt and his brother, T.J. Watt, have a tight-knit bond that is evident from everything you see on social media. So it would only stand to reason that the two siblings pairing up on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense would potentially be in the cards.
Pittsburgh already boasts one of the best defenses in the league with T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, a returning Bud Dupree and Devin Bush, among others, adding to an elite front seven. However, teams can always benefit from making one of their strengths even better and that’s what would be on the able with adding J.J. Watt this offseason.
While the fit is natural given the familial connection, it should be noted that the Steelers are in an interesting spot. With the retirement of Maurkice Pounce, the offensive line is in a tough spot. Moreover, the future of Ben Roethlisberger and the quarterback position are in question as well. That could give J.J. Watt some pause for any type of longer-term commitment.
Assuming that Big Ben comes back, though, the Steelers will almost surely be looking to go all-out to try and win one more Super Bowl in this era. Adding the veteran defensive lineman to the fold would undoubtedly put the defense in a spot to accomplish that.