2020 NFL Offseason: J.J. Watt Will Not Pursue Contract Extension Right Now

Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt had a press conference with media members on Wednesday. Among the many questions these players usually field during these conferences, one pertained to a potential contract extension for the Texans’ defensive end.

Q: “With two years left on your contract and no guaranteed money left, do you want to sign a contract extension this offseason?”

J.J.: ““No, I don’t think that’s necessary. I fully understand and respect the situation that I’m in at the moment and what’s happened in the past few years, so I’m not going to sit here and demand anything because I’m going out there to prove what I’m worth, and I believe that’s the right situation for everybody. I think if I went back and asked for an extension, more money, anything right now, I think that would be the wrong move. 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.”

How can you not love this guy? Watt’s situation is team-friendly for now. The bean counters can simply keep the current numbers in mind with Deshaun Watson’s extension on the horizon.

However, J.J.’s contract is going to expire when he’s 33 years old. He will make $15.5 million this year and $17.5 million next year. Houston would take zero dead cap dollars if they were to trade or release him.

Even with his injury history, Watt will likely want to cash in one more time before he hangs the cleats up. Watt has been an invaluable asset to this franchise and is arguably one of, if not the, best player in franchise history. Any Texans fan would love to see him close out his career in Houston. Yet with Derek Watt and T.J. Watt teamed up in Pittsburgh, maybe J.J. fulfills that wish of playing with his brothers in a couple of years.

There were a couple tidbits from the conference that are worth noting. Luckily, BRB alumnus and our good friend Rivers McCown clipped some of the better responses. There’s some good stuff in here, such as how J.J. feels about playing in Anthony Weaver’s defense.

Finally, Watt gets asked about what makes Bill O’Brien a good head coach. This is my favorite answer from the conference. I’ll leave Watt’s answer up to individual interpretation.

What do you think about J.J. not pursuing an extension? Would you rather the team try to lock him down? Would you be okay with him playing for another franchise?