It’s Time For The Texans To Move On From J.J. Watt

Every Texans fan loves J.J. Watt. He spent his entire career as the heart and soul of the Texans’ defense. He has the accolades of 96 sacks in 9 seasons, as well as three Defensive Player of The Year Awards. Watt has earned a reputation for residing in the backfield and terrorizing offensive lines since the moment he stepped on a NFL field. When it’s all said and done, he will be in the Hall of Fame and recognized as one of the greatest pass rushers to do it.

With that said, there is no way we can acknowledge the good without speaking on the bad. Watt has missed 32 of the previous 64 games, and his season has ended abruptly 3 of the last 4 years. Most Texans’ fans defended Watt’s recent inability to finish seasons. We all thought his injury troubles were behind him after finishing a full sixteen game season in 2018, only for his demons to revisit him again last Sunday against the Raiders. Again, Watt’s season is over after suffering a torn pectoral muscle.

I understand this topic will cause a world war between Texans’ fans, but this is a topic that needs to be discussed. It is time to discuss a future without Justin James Watt. Watt turned 30 earlier this year, and we would all love for him to finish his career as a Texan, but after another season ending injury, it is time for Watt to have a fresh start. Both Watt and the Texans need to part ways after this season.

If there is one thing the Texans’ taught me, is that the NFL is a cold business. They will release any player no matter how loyal and dedicated they were during the hardest of times. Andre Johnson and Duane Brown (traded) are the first two names that come to mind. If the Texans can do that to them, I imagine they will do the same to Watt in the off-season.

Watt is currently under contract until the 2021 season and is scheduled to make a total of $33 million over the next two seasons. This contract is too much for a player who spent three of his last four seasons on injured reserve. Watt still has value as well as the ability to dominate a football game. The Texans need some draft picks, and Watt will be a great trade asset for that.

Deshaun Watson is now a MVP caliber quarterback and will soon be in demand of a large payday. It'll be hard to keep the important core players, Watt included, and unless Watt is willing to restructure his deal, moving on from Watt will need to happen.

With him being injury prone, the upcoming Deshaun Watson contract, and the need of draft picks, it's time for the Texans to move on from Watt. He can be a great trade bargain to help get picks, and the money Houston will have from getting rid of his massive contract would allow Houston to build around Watson.