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| J.J. Watt has 36.5 career sacks in his career. Photo Credit: Getty Images |
The Houston Texans had a very busy but successful night last night as they completed a deal to lockup arguably the best defensive end in the National Football League to a long term contract.
By: Michael Hanley
First announced by The Houston Chronicle the Texans and J.J. Watt agreed to terms on a six year contract extension which is worth up to as much as $100 million. According to CBS Sport’s Jason La Canfora, Watt will receive nearly $52 million in guaranteed money, which is broken down to $30 million guaranteed when he signs the deal and then the other $21 million will become fully guaranteed at the start of the 2016 league year.
The $52 million in guaranteed money that is included in this overall deal makes Watt the highest paid defensive player in the league, surpassing a former Texan in Mario Williams who had previously set the mark with his six-year, $96 million contract he got from the Buffalo Bills. That contract included $50 million in guaranteed money for Williams.
If you remember, Watt still has two years left on his original rookie contract he signed with Houston when he was drafted, including his team option for the 2015 season. Include this into the new contract extension and the former Badger is looking at spending the next eight years of his career in Houston at around $109 million total, not a bad payday for a player people had questioned the ability of when he started playing football.
The raise in his annual salary will skyrocket once this new contract kicks in. Watt was scheduled to make a combined $8.1 million in the final two years of his rookie contract. His new yearly salary with this new deal will be $16.6 million, dwarfing his salary of any years on his rookie contract.
This contract extension between Watt and the Houston Texans have been in the works for sometime now. J.J Watt himself has desire for a new deal before this new season started, as seen in the comments he made about this subject to reporters back in mid August during a practice session with the Denver Broncos:
"With the new (collective bargaining agreement), I think one of the goals was to make guys earn their pay," Watt said. "No more big paydays up front. ... When a team gives a contract after the third year, they're saying, 'We think you've earned this.' And so, I don't know if [the Texans] feel that way or not. But I sure hope I've put in all the work and I've put in everything I can do to hopefully earn it."
There's no question that watt has earned this new contract extension with the body of work he has complied in his career so far for the Texans. He has from day one been a huge anchor for the Houston defense and a big factor for the franchises two season stretch where they won the AFC South Division title, made the playoffs and won two postseason games. He also has scored a personal honor being named as NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the 2012 season for leading the league in sacks with 20.5.
Watt is at times a one man wrecking crew as his pure strength and skills on the field. It does not matter how strong an opposing offensive line might be and what scheme they run, you can count on Watt finding a way to break through whoever is trying to block him and get to the quarterback in no time flat.
What really stands out is his ability to stick with a play after it initially is snapped. He has had his fair share of sacks where he just goes around the blocker and gets to the QB in short order but their are those other sacks where he has to really battle to get into the backfield and chase down the signal caller for the opposing team before landing the sack. That type of effort and energy he displays on every snap he plays really rubs off on his teammates and separates him from the rest of the defensive ends in the league.
You cannot undervalue his leadership skills as well for this Texans defense and team overall. He understands how to communicate and talk to his teammates and get them to focus at the task at hand, whether its in a practice or in the middle of a game. He knows how to fire up his defense when it is needed and when to put an arm around a player, lift them up and get them back to playing to their true potential. Since his arrival, this Texans defense has taken on more and more his personality and style of play, which will only continue to benefit not only that unit but the team in general.
So while a contract extension and salary of that size can be eye popping and seem crazy, don’t tell that to anyone associated with the Houston Texans, who see him not only see him great for the organization and the fortunes of it but for the community of Houston as well.
Follow me on Twitter at: @Magic20099
