Maurkice Pouncey’s retirement isn’t the only big NFL news of the day. The Houston Texans are reportedly set to release JJ Watt, according to this tweet from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Houston will get massive cap relief while Watt will get the chance to play for a contending team. The writing’s been on the wall for several weeks now with Watt openly questioning if he would return to Houston considering the mass dysfunction of the team.
Watt posted a video shortly after Rapoport’s tweet, confirming he and the Texans have “mutually agreed to part ways.”
Where Watt ends up next is a question we’ve never had to entertain before. He’s spent his entire career with the Texans, starting 128 games and becoming one of the best defensive players in football. Watt put one of the most dominant stretches in football history from 2012-2015, recording 69 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, 190 QB hits, and 119 tackles for loss over that span. In three of those four years, he won Defensive Player of the Year.
Of course, many Steelers’ fans will hope Watt joins brothers TJ and Derek in Pittsburgh. That’s still extremely unlikely to happen. Pittsburgh won’t have the cap space to accommodate someone of his talent and the Steelers have two studs along the defensive line in Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt. But we’ll certainly be watching where Watt ends up next. His time in Houston is over.
UPDATE (10:07 AM): To no one’s surprise, TJ Watt is extending an invitation for big brother to join the Steelers.
