5 Questions To Ask When Considering JJ Watt Potentially Landing With The Titans
J.J. Watt became a free agent this morning. If you’re a Titans fan (or any NFL fan) you probably instantly thought of what it would look like to add this personified Mr. Incredible onto your team’s lineup. This blog is to take a deeper look into that hypothetical. Is it worth it for the Titans to add J.J. Watt to their team?
In a word: yes.
In two words: hell yes.
I mean, did you SEE the Titans pass rush last year?
However, if we’re being responsible adults (which admittedly, I rarely am – I forgot to wheel the trash can down my driveway on trash day this week), we need to dig a little deeper into this discussion.
The fact that J.J. Watt is being released, rather than traded, makes a move to the Titans very possible. But there are so many other questions to be asked. Five, in fact. And we’re here to ask – and answer – those questions.
1. Would he even want to come to the Titans?
This is arguably the most important question. Would J.J. Watt want to come to Nashville? If he was a bachelorette, that’d be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, he’s not.
You know he wants to go to a contender. And if the Titans can bolster their defense to be even half as good as their third-ranked offense, they without question will be. And a guy like J.J. Watt will only help get them there.
Plus, he would be reunited with his former defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel. And if you throw the right jacket on him, he looks like just a country singer, which is always a plus in Nashville.
And of course, he’s clearly an Earl Campbell fan. And who did Earl Campbell play for? Hint: The Tennessee Titans franchise (kinda).
However, there are some downfalls. The Titans don’t employ both of his brothers like the Steelers do, and they don’t play in Wisconsin as the Packers do. Plus, he may just want to get out of the AFC South altogether. We don’t know.
But counterpoint:
Everyone loves a good party.
2. Can the Titans even afford him?
This is the boring part of the hypothetical. It’ll be tough, but the Titans have the flexibility. Unlike other suitors.
Remember last year when we didn’t know if the Titans would be able to afford both Tannehill and Derrick Henry with new deals? But Jon Robinson got creative and found a way to make it work. Never underestimate Jon Robinson. (Except for last offseason… *sigh*)
So don’t think he couldn’t rearrange some salaries to bring in JJ Watt.
Plus, like I said, they’re sitting prettier than other suitors. Check what Mike Herndon wrote at Broadway Sports:
Pittsburgh is currently $30 million over a projected $180.5 million salary cap according to OverTheCap.com, and while the retirement of Maurkice Pouncey will free up close to $15 million in space, the Steelers will still have to get creative to free up enough room to fit a reasonable salary for Watt.
They certainly could make it happen, especially if Watt was willing to take a discount to play there (which he might be). Ben Roethlisberger’s $41.3 million cap hit can be massaged with a restructure and the team could release veteran cornerback Joe Haden to clear another $8.5 million. However, they will also need to replace Pouncey and reinforce an offensive line that has wilted over the last couple seasons as well as trying to find space to pay JuJu Smith-Schuster.
via Broadway Sports Media
And what about the Packers?
The Packers have a similar cap situation to Pittsburgh though. Currently over the projected cap by about $28 million, Green Bay will need to do some serious cap gymnastics just to get in compliance. Like other teams, they can restructure some big deals and possibly look at releasing a guy like Preston Smith to get there, but there are fewer “easy” moves for Green Bay to make without creating major roster holes. Would Watt take a discount here? Maybe, but it might have to be pretty steep.
via Broadway Sports Media
Again, money is tight in Nashville. But it’s tight everywhere. Maybe they can pay him in dogecoin?
3. Do the Titans even want him?
You might think this is a dumb question to ask, but does J.J. Watt even have enough left in the tank to take a stab at? Can he stay healthy enough to stay on the field?
Titans fans know all about signing edge rushers who wear #99 who can’t stay healthy enough to make an impact. *cough Jadeveon Clowney cough*
J.J. Watt only played in eight games in 2019 and only racked up five sacks in sixteen games in 2020. The Titans need free-agent signings that they know for sure will make impacts right away. They can’t afford to make another Vic Beasley or Clowney mistake.
But then there’s this counterpoint:
4. Is there enough creatine in the greater Nashville area to support JJ Watt’s lifestyle?
It may seem silly, but this is a legit question you need to ask. Much like if you were trading for James Harden (again, sorry Houston), you need to make sure there are enough strip clubs (and now fast-food restaurants apparently) in a ten-mile radius of your team.
With my top-level research, I found there are only 3 GNC stores in the greater-Nashville area. That’s gotta be a concern for the sustainability to even land J.J. Watt.
That’s rough. And not a good outlook for Nashville. Plus,
5. What happens to his hit TV show ULTIMATE TAG on FOX?
This is arguably the most pressing question of the entire J.J. Watt leaving Houston saga. His hit TV show ULTIMATE TAG on FOX is now in flux. It currently has yet to be renewed for a second season, and this news could make or break that decision. If he’s reunited with his brothers in Pittsburgh, maybe that will help the chances of the show being renewed, but otherwise, moving to a new city may have J.J. realign his priorities and I can’t imagine a reality TV show about people playing tag is high on that list. It’s a shame, I know. But the tens of us who watched it will just need to band together for support.
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In summation, will JJ Watt end up on the Titans? I have my doubts. If I had to put a percentage on it, I’d say 22%. Just because that’s Derrick Henry’s number and this is The #1 Derrick Henry Fan Site On The Internet™.
