Houston Texans DE JJ Watt (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Could the Kansas City Chiefs’ superteam get even better?
The Texans surprised us all by cutting veteran defensive end JJ Watt after a decade with the team, rather than seek out compensation in the form of draft capital. Nonetheless, Watt has a ton of suitors, even after the worst 16-game statistical slate of his professional career. There’s plenty of evidence to suggest he has some productive football left in him.
Watt’s agent will set the market high, but how much he makes will depend on a couple factors. Mainly, it’ll depend on Watt himself. If the Wisconsin legend is willing to deviate from his career financial plan for one season in hopes of securing a Super Bowl, then Watt can sign with the likes of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers or even Kansas City Chiefs. If not, that severely trims down the competition.
The Kansas City Chiefs cap situation hinders their ability to sign JJ Watt
That’s not saying it’s impossible, but Watt would have to sign on a team-friendly deal — or something similar to it — to take on the challenge of leading the Chiefs to another Super Bowl appearance.
At the start of the offseason, the Chiefs are about $18 million above the projected $190 million salary cap. That number will fluctuate, of course, as the Chiefs rework several deals and cut players altogether who do not have guaranteed money. Kansas City will want to make several additions to their AFC-winning squad one way or another. Whether Watt is included in that group is up to him.
Watt opposite of Frank Clark would make for an experienced, dangerous crew up front that would help the Chiefs cover for their middle of the pack secondary. As talented as Tyrann Mathieu and L’Jarius Sneed are, they still ranked 11th in passing yards allowed last year, and that number could increase with a more lethal pass rush.