By Bryce Kelly, Contributing Writer
J.J. Watt made a huge NFL announcement this week when he announced he was signing with the Arizona Cardinals. Watt signed a two-year deal worth $31 million, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
This is big news because Watt played with the Houston Texans since they selected him in the first round in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Watt said he was considering among four or five finalists before he chose Arizona, according to ESPN.com. But Watt chose the wrong team – he should have picked another franchise as the Cardinals aren’t ready to compete in the playoffs.
No one can question Watt’s talent and results. He is one of the best defensive ends of his era. Watt has the most sacks of any active player with 101. He is a three-time AP Defensive Player of the Year and has made five Pro Bowls.
However, the problem with Watt’s career is the Texans’ lack of success during his tenure with the team. Houston’s best season with Watt was 2012, with the Texans going 12-4. But the Texans lost in the divisional round of the playoffs. That loss was very common for Watt and the Texans as they lost in the divisional round four times. They never made it past the divisional round during Watt’s time with the team.
After all those tough playoff losses, it would make sense that Watt would want to sign with a contender. It made sense that teams like the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns were rumored to be frontrunners for Watt. All those teams went to the playoffs last year and won at least one game.
What team didn’t make the playoffs last year? The Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals have some good pieces, including young quarterback Kyler Murray and great receiver DeAndre Hopkins. But Arizona is missing one key pillar of success: good coaching.
Kliff Kingsbury is a bum as a head coach. He is not a proven winner.
As a college head coach at Texas Tech, Kingsbury compiled a record of 35-40 while going 1-2 in bowl games. Kingsbury had Patrick Mahomes, one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, at Texas Tech and still couldn’t win a bowl game. Kingsbury may be a quarterback whisperer, but he hasn’t shown he can win.
This situation should have concerned Watt since he is not a young player. He’ll be 32 in about three weeks. If I were him, I’d want a team that looks like it can compete for a trip to the Super Bowl right now. That team isn’t the Cardinals.
The Cardinals were 8-8 last year and play in arguably the hardest division in football: the NFC West. The Seahawks were 12-4 last year and look like a playoff team. The Los Angeles Rams made a blockbuster trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford, which should put them in the playoffs. Don’t forget about the San Francisco 49ers, either. They are two years removed from a Super Bowl run with many key players returning from injury.
The path to playoff success is murky for Watt and the Cardinals, unlike the Bills and the Packers, who are favorites to win their divisions in the 2021 season.
Watt may have other reasons for going to Arizona. He may want to stay in a warm climate. Watt may connect well with ownership and the staff. Despite those possible advantages, Watt should have gone somewhere else. Unless the Cardinals make some more huge moves, Watt will be without playoff success with a good quarterback and wide receiver once again, just like he was in Houston with Deshaun Watson and Hopkins.
kellybw19@bonaventure.edu.
