J.J. Watt almost was a member of the New York Jets. Well, not really.
Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan coveted the Houston Texans defensive end before the 2011 NFL Draft while he was running the New York Jets, and apparently, Ryan had a pretty solid plan to get Watt to drop out of the top 20 to where the Jets picked at No. 30.
“I sat down there and he kind of real casually — the whole thing was real casual — and he just said, ‘Hey, man, you’re going to be gone by the time we get to pick, so here’s what we’re going to do: We’re going to put out a fake medical report that you have some sort of disease. I don’t know what it is, whatever, we’ll make it up. And you’re going to drop, but we’ll pay you like you’re up there (in the first round),'” Watt told the Buffalo media via conference call Wednesday, per ESPN.com.
Ryan, of course, was joking, but Watt said he was flattered by the coach’s interest in him. Watt eventually was selected 11th overall by the Texans.
“So it was a funny little thing with Rex but something that I’ll always remember about the combine,” Watt said. “It was kind of a nice compliment to hear from an NFL coach when you’re a college kid.”
Ryan will go against the guy he missed out on this Sunday when the Bills take on the Texans at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Thumbnail photo via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images
