Both parties may benefit to say bye-bye to J.J.
Among all the unanswered questions swirling inside and around NRG Stadium, this one keeps randomly returning to my mind: What does J.J. Watt think about the Texans’ mess?
The incredibly public Deshaun Watson drama.
The endless Jack Easterby drama.
CEO Cal McNair finally speaking, then intentionally disappearing the day after it was reported his franchise quarterback had officially relayed his burning desire to be traded.
The shaky, vulnerable, unpredictable state of the Texans — the only team that super-famous No. 99 has played for.
If Watt wants to move on, now is the time.
And it’s hard to imagine there being a better time than this.
A major rebuild — the first in Texans history — is a couple big roster decisions away. Local fans have never been angrier at the Texans’ management and front-office decision makers. National fans have Houston’s NFL team ranked above the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals on the league’s laughingstock scale.
Not to mention the Texans have gone 4-12 in two of the last four seasons. Watt will turn 32 on March 22. And the 10-year veteran is set to make $17.5 million next season, his final year under contract with the Texans.
If new general manager Nick Caserio adheres to the Patriot Way, it’s hard to imagine Watt in local red and blue making financial sense for the 2021 Texans, even if the best defender/ player in franchise history is open to an extension that makes
his $17.5 million hit feel lighter next year.
New England didn’t win six Super Bowls from 2001-18 by being sentimental and playing favorites. Caserio learned the business from Bill Belichick. And the Patriots are famous for coldly moving on from big names a year ahead of the public decline. (Sometimes the Northeast dynasty misses, which explains why ex-Pat Tom Brady is one victory away from winning another championship ring Sunday in Tampa.)
Watt is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, received the 2017 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award for his community efforts after Hurricane Harvey, and should enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame during his first year on the ballot.
If he wants to move on from the Texans, he should be able to depart on his terms — a release could represent the simplest middle ground — and a proper send-off would ideally follow. Caserio’s Texans also badly need draft picks. Trading Watt to a team of his choosing could make both sides happier this season.
But Andre Johnson deserved better when his 12-year run with the Texans unceremoniously ended in March 2015. And Houston’s NFL team doesn’t have a great track record of proudly raising a glass to past heroics and wrapping up all the glowing memories with a warm smile. Just ask former local stars DeAndre Hopkins and Duane Brown.
Watt played in all 16 games last season after being limited to just 16 total in 2016, ’17 and ’19 due to injuries. But he hasn’t made the Pro Bowl since 2018, and the Texans’ defense has ranked among the NFL’s worst in back-to-back seasons.
Fairly productive
The defensive end’s 52 combined tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, pick-six interception and 17 QB hits in 2020 also would have looked stronger if paired with better supporting pieces within an elite defense.
Watt makes much more sense with his brothers in Pittsburgh in 2021. Or, at the least, on a legitimate conference championship contender.
If Watson magically remains in Houston and a revamped locker room buys into first-year coach David Culley? Keeping Watt is much more logical.
If Watson is traded before Week 1, it will be easier for the Texans to publicly sell the idea that Watt’s time with the team was also done. It won’t make the end of this era any easier — or remove the local fury. But moving on from Watson and Watt in the offseason, then entering a true rebuild, would at least make NFL sense.
Watson’s relationship with the Texans began fracturing during the latest 4-12 season, but the real fallout started once the postseason began.
“I mean, the (expletive) hurts. I’m tired of losing,” Watson said on Dec. 6 after a painful 26-20 home loss to Indianapolis. “Being so close over the years is just — yeah, I mean, it’s just tough. It’s tough.”
Exit contemplated
Watt’s 2020 frustration built and built as the losses piled up, and it was painfully clear to everyone watching that the Texans would fall short with No. 99 on their roster for the 10th consecutive season since 2011.
“I’ve certainly considered it. Who knows?” Watt said Jan. 3 when asked whether 41-38 Tennessee in a lastsecond heartbreaker could have been his final game as a Texan. “There’s too many unknowns to really know. But if it is, I really — it’s unfortunate that it wasn’t in front of a full stadium and all the fans, and it’s unfortunate it wasn’t a win. It’s unfortunate it was in this type of a season. … I think this city knows — I hope they know how I feel about them and how thankful I am. I’ve tried to do everything I possibly can and give everything I possibly have.”
The Texans never won enough — and didn’t have the right QB — when Watt was in his prime.
Before the franchise’s latest 4-12 season, there was a still a shot Watt could eventually retire as the first big-name lifetime Texan.
Then the Texans fired their head coach/GM after trading Hopkins, Watt’s name was all over the news as the trade deadline approached, the Texans lost their last five games during a season dragged down by dysfunction, and Watson’s internal battle became public.
What does Watt think about the Texans’ mess?
Is the local end finally here for No. 99, or will be there be another chapter added to the 10-year story?