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J.J. Watt Contract Extension: $51.8 Million Guaranteed, Record Amount For Defensive Player

The Houston Texans and J.J. Watt, arguably the NFL's best defensive player, have agreed to a contract extension with two years left on Watt's rookie deal. The extension includes a record $51.8 million guaranteed as part of a six-year extension worth $100 million total.

By Ryan Dunsmore
SHOW ME THE MONEYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!
SHOW ME THE MONEYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!
Scott Halleran

Just past the stroke of midnight, the Texans dropped a bombshell. The Houston Texans have agreed to a contract extension with All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt, as first reported by the Houston Chronicle's John McClain and posted about here by Brett Kollmann.

While the Texans were in Colorado, Watt mentioned "sure, [he] would like to be" extended like fellow members of the 2011 draft class - Patrick Peterson and Colin Kaepernick, to name two.

McClain reported that Watt's agent Tom Condon, Texans general manager Rick Smith ,and vice president of football administration Chris Olsen worked on an extension for weeks in an effort to get a deal done before the regular season started. It's been a busy few weeks for Condon; he also finished a deal earlier this week to extend Kansas City Chief starting quarterback Alex Smith to the tune of $ 68 million over four years.

The Texans' top defensive player had two years left on his rookie contract that would take him through the 2015 season. Had a deal not gotten done, Houston would have been able to use the franchise tag on Watt for two more years after Watt's rookie contract expired. But, as the Texans have previously shown, they are willing to work with top players like Andre Johnson, Brian Cushing, and Arian Foster, all of whom they resigned before they had to.

Watt easily outplayed his contract, winning the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year award, finishing in the top two in tackles for loss the past two seasons, and collecting 33.5 sacks over that same timeframe.

The specific numbers on Watt's extension:

The $51.8 million guaranteed is the largest in history for a defensive player in NFL history. This deal also makes Watt the highest-paid defensive player in history, surpassing former Texan Mario Williams' six-year, $96 million contract signed in 2013.

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