Houston Texans Pick Up J.J. Watt's Fifth Year Option **New Info Updated**

Mike Florio says; "JJ Watt likely to hold out."

What?!! WHAT?!!!!!  That’s certainly NOT in character for Watt. Strap Florio in irons and have him flogged immediately!

You can hear the audio in his interview on Sports Radio 610 by clicking HERE.

Florio (audio @3:17); "I think of all the guys who were taken in the first round of the 2011 draft; even though Watt wasn’t one of the top-five picks that really felt the squeeze of the new rookie wage scale – those guys lost a LOT of money just by virtue of the fact they were one year late; but even though Watt doesn’t fall into that category, I think he is one of the most likely to hold out. He and Patrick Peterson of the Cardinals would be the most likely to hold out. Watt hasn’t said anything, none of this is public, but there’s enough swirling around there that if they don’t take care of JJ Watt he’s potentially not going to be around."

He does have a good point that this draft class was screwed out of pretty good coin compared to previous rookie classes for high 1st round picks.  Even more unfortunate for Watt is that he was selected 11th overall.  Had he been drafted in the top-ten, then his fifth-year option would be equal to the transition tag for his position which is a one-year contract equal to the average salary of the top ten players in the league at the player's position, or a twenty percent salary increase, whichever is greater.

NFL Values for 2014:

Franchise tags

Quarterback: $16.192 million

Running back: $9.54 million
Wide receiver: $12.312 million
Tight end: $7.035 million
Offensive lineman: $11.654 million  
Defensive end: $13.116 million
Defensive tackle: $9.654 million 
Linebacker: $11.455 million 
Cornerback: $11.834 million
Safety: $8.433 million
Kicker/punter: $3.556 million

Transition tags

Quarterback: $14.666 million

Running back: $8.033 million
Wide receiver: $10.176 million
Tight end: $6.106 million
Offensive lineman: $10.039 million  
Defensive end: $10.633 million
Defensive tackle: $8.060 million 
Linebacker: $9.754 million 
Cornerback: $10.081 million
Safety: $7.253 million
Kicker/punter: $3.205 million

That represents about a $4 million difference in being selected 11th overall, instead of top-ten.

I think the Texans are very likely to secure a long-term contract with Watt before the season begins.  One can argue on either side of the debate of the impact Johnny Manziel would have for the team in terms of marketing, fan support and actual game performance if he were to somehow become a Houston Texans' QB.  However, it would be absolute franchise suicide for the Texans to screw up the JJ Watt situation; especially when they are neck-deep trying to reboot the club into a new era and maintain any positive momentum and fan support from the two out of three previous seasons that resulted in division championships.

Bob McNair should be a smart enough business man to realize that there are two players who should be considered nearly untouchable so long as they don't screw up on or off the field: Andre Johnson and JJ Watt.  If either of them exits this team to play elsewhere in the NFL, the Texans would face serious consequences in terms of fan support and on-field success.  Do the right thing Texans!  Sign JJ Watt long-term before this season begins.