Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt is entering his 10th season in the NFL and is facing a crossroads in his tenure with the AFC South club.
According to former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry, Watt is one of 10 players that he pegged as being at a crossroads in 2020.
Watt was considered the closest thing to a modern day Reggie White, who is arguably the greatest defensive football player of all-time, before being bitten by the injury bug. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year has missed 32 of the last 64 regular season games because of a variety of injuries.
Watt, who has two years remaining on his contract for $33 million, recognizes he isn’t in a position to ask for a new deal. He was still an impact player the last time he was healthy in 2018; Watt led the AFC with 16 sacks while being named first-team All-Pro for the first time since 2015.
“I think if I went back and asked for an extension, more money, anything right now, I think that would be the wrong move,” Watt told reporters on May 27. “I’m just going out there and trying to prove my worth and to help this team win games and do everything that I can to earn and make sure that these people know that I’m worth it.”
The 31-year-old’s last two seasons on his current contract cost the Texans a cap hit of $15.5 million and $17.5 million. Houston would have a way out of each of those seasons as they do not incur any dead money against the salary cap. The Texans better be absolutely sure Watt has never left to offer for the team before they make such a move.
Watt, despite missing eight games with a torn pectoral sustained in Week 8, finished tied for the 20th-most quarterback hits in the NFL with 21. The sack numbers were down with just 4.0 and only one fumble was forced. However, the former 2011 first-round pick was still finding a way to get pressure on quarterbacks.