Seemingly the biggest factor in J.J. Watt wanting out of Houston was to seek an opportunity to legitimately compete for a Lombardi Trophy.
Winning very well might be Watt’s priority in his free-agent search, but he might not have to make that much of a financial sacrifice in order to join a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
ESPN NFL insider Dianna Russini on Thursday reported Watt has received “several” offers from teams across the league. Russini, citing a source, claims the best offer among the bunch is a contract worth between $15 million and $16 million annually. Russini did not specify which team made this offer to Watt.
Watt was slated to make $17.5 million for his final season in Houston before he was released by the Texans. In turn, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year likely is looking for a 2021 base salary in the ballpark of that figure.
Russini’s report is interesting when juxtaposed with one made by longtime league insider John Clayton, on Wednesday. Clayton reported the Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills and Green Bay Packers are the finalists to land Watt on the open market. Tennessee, Buffalo and Green Bay all currently rank among the bottom 13 teams in salary cap space, per Over The Cap.
It also has been reported Watt is “seriously considering” Cleveland as a potential landing spot, which makes sense from a financial standpoint. The Browns currently have the 11th-most salary cap space in the league, and they are coming off a season in which they reached the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
Watt, who officially was released Feb. 12, clearly is doing his due diligence and he does not need to be in any rush to sign the dotted line with a new franchise. As such, reports of offers for Watt likely are just getting started.
