Former Texans DE JJ Watt signs two-year deal with Cardinals
After fans worked day and night to unearth JJ Watt’s next destination following his departure from the Houston Texans, Watt was able to shock the world and deliver the news himself.
Just a few hours after rumors began to swirl related to a Peloton account (which Watt shut down instantly), the former Texans defensive end took to social media to announce that he was joining the Arizona Cardinals.
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Watt posted a photo of him in the gym, donning a white-and-red Cardinals shirt as he put in work to prepare for the 2021 season.
“Source: me,” Watt wrote.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Watt signed a two-year deal with the team that’s worth $31 million, featuring $23 million in guarantees.
The move certainly stings for Texans fans, who will now see one of their former superstars in a Cardinals uniform for the second year in a row after a trade in 2020 shipped star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins off to Arizona.
Theoretically, the Texans received David Johnson, a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft in total while losing Hopkins via trade and Watt for no return via free agency.
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Watt, who will turn 32 three weeks after announcing his next move, spent 10 seasons with the Texans after being selected by the franchise in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
He earned AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors three times in his first five seasons in Houston, and accumulated 101 sacks and 531 tackles in his first decade in the league.
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