WATT TO DO WITH J.J.

Here's the definitive path to navigate J.J. Watt's future

J.J. Watt
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images. Composite image by Brandon Strange.

The Houston Texans are a distant 50-1 longshot to win the Super Bowl this season with beloved, though aging and often-injured, superstar J.J. Watt holding a $17.5 million contract for 2021.

What to do after the season – or maybe before? A rational general manager would think, J.J. Watt is a Houston treasure. He is the most popular, most accomplished player ever to strap on a Texans helmet. While he spends more time on the injured list than the playing field in recent years, he is adored by fans in Houston. And when he does play, he is still effective. He still gets double and triple-teamed by opposing linemen.

The simple fact is, if general manger and head coach Bill O'Brien dares to trade or release Watt, wow, you think fans dislike O'Brien now? The entire stadium would become that guy who cursed O'Brien in the tunnel last year. Fans would boo O'Brien out of NRG Stadium during the national anthem. It would be a bad look for the Texans.

If you think that fans shook their heads when O'Brien made the Texans a laughingstock by trading DeAndre Hopkins, maybe the best receiver in the prime of his career, for a broken-down and overpaid running back and second-round draft pick … wow, wait for the blowback if O'Brien tries to unload J.J. Watt.

A rational general manager with a feel for the city would just swallow Watt's contract for 2021, which actually isn't that unreasonable given the current NFL pay scale. It's the final year of a 6-year, $100 million contract Watt signed in 2014. Looking back, Watt's been a bargain and worthy asset for the team. If Watt wants to continue playing, the Texans would be nuts not to re-sign him.

A cut-throat general manager who's won Super Bowls could release Watt, explain the reasons, take the p.r. hit, and get on with football. It's been done before. The 49'ers traded Joe Montana for a first-round pick, the Colts released Peyton Manning, Tom Brady left the Patriots as a free agent, and life went on.

But we're dealing with none of the above. O'Brien is not exactly a fan favorite here. His grouchy – and that's putting it mildly – demeanor and sour relationship with the media and fans will give him no free pass on dealing Watt away. Certainly not after the fans' furor after the Hopkins debacle. Fan support for the Texans would implode if O'Brien traded Watt for a bag of kicking tees, or unceremoniously released the greatest player in team history and an icon in Houston.

I've never seen one player hold all the cards against team management like Watt does. Sure he's on the downside of a Hall of Fame career, but $17.5 million isn't what it used to be. That may be below market value for a part-time superstar. Watt is still an effective pass rusher when he's healthy. He still gets double and triple-teamed by opposing linemen. He's also a leader in the locker room.

J.J. Watt is a Houston treasure, big man on campus, beloved by everybody. If he walked away today, his legacy is assured. He isn't on the Mount Rushmore of Houston athletes. He gets his own mountain. His accomplishments are etched in history: three time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Walter Payton Man of the Year, Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, NFL All-Decade Team and on and on.

More important, he is a Houston hero. He represents the best of who we are. If he retires today, he will have played his entire career in Houston. The first time I met Watt, he was a rookie, standing outside a Little League field, shaking hands with fans, signing autographs, raising money for a family whose parents were killed in a car crash that left two children handicapped. The next time I saw him, he was backstage at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, getting ready to play conga drums while Jimmy Buffett sang Margaritaville.

Nobody knows Watt's politics. If he registered as an independent and ran for mayor of Houston, he wins. Governor, he wins. President, who knows?

He has endorsement deals with Subway sandwiches, Ford trucks, Gatorade, Verizon cell phones, Reebok shoes, American Family Insurance and NRG Energy. He reportedly makes $7 million in endorsements. That's quarterback money. No other defensive player comes close to Watt's endorsement value. And his commercials won't stop after he retires. Look at Brett Favre and Joe Namath. Watt could leave football now, before the risk of getting his body more seriously injured and his brain scrambled, and not miss a beat of popularity.

Watt earned his acting chops next to legendary thespian Scott McClelland in HEB commercials. He's appeared in the Bad Moms movie, and the New Girl sitcom. He's hosted the CMT Music Awards and Saturday Night Live. Now he's the star of Tag on Fox. He's made his mother Connie and brothers T.J. and Derek commercial successes. J.J. Watt has achieved the greatest honor in celebritydom – he's got an ice cream named for him in the frozen food aisle.

More important, Watt is a humanitarian, the heart and soul of Houston. When a shooter murdered children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Watt invited some of the families onto the field before a Texans game to play catch and meet the team. When eight students and two teachers were killed in another senseless shooting at Santa Fe High School, Watt offered to pay for their funerals. When Hurricane Harvey flooded much of Houston, Watt raised $40 million to feed and rebuild the lives of victims. During one Halloween, Watt dressed up as Batman and visited kids at Texas Children's Hospital.

Yeah, Bill O'Brien, go ahead and trade or release J.J. Watt. See what happens.

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The Astros host the Giants Monday night. Composite Getty Image.

Coming off the opening series win over the Mets, there's a lot for the Astros to be excited about. The starting pitching led the way in all three games, and Houston's high-leverage relievers delivered when it mattered most.

Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader closed the door on the Mets in games 1 and 3. Bryan King has also looked impressive, and it appears he'll be counted on in the seventh inning to hand the lead to Abreu and then Hader.

If Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski can deliver consistent performances similar to the other starters, the Astros will have one of the most feared rotations in baseball.

Plus, more help could be on the way with Lance McCullers making another step in his rehab pitching for Sugar Land over the weekend.

As good as the pitching has been, there are some legitimate concerns about the offense. Their struggles to hit with runners in scoring position in 2024 are still an issue through the first series of 2025.

Newcomers Isaac Paredes and Christian Walker have yet to do much with the bat, and the only extra-base hits this season (2) have come from Jeremy Pena and Yordan Alvarez.

As far as the learning curve in the outfield, Jose Altuve and Cam Smith are off to a decent start. And despite the shakeup at second base, the team is still getting zero production from Mauricio Dubon and Brendan Rodgers.

It appears Joe Espada's plan in the Mets series was to get everyone some playing time, which seems like a smart strategy early in the season. However, the game plan didn't pay off on Saturday, with Zach Dezenzo, Victor Caratini, and Dubon combining for zero hits.

Polarizing bats

Finally, how are we feeling about the Torpedo bats sweeping the league?

While the Yankees aren't the only team with players sporting these new sticks, their results have been the talk of MLB with the Bronx Bombers mashing 15 dingers over just three games.

With the Astros sitting at one homer on the season, why not give them a try? One thing is for sure, don't be surprised if players opt to use these new bats to break out of a slump at some point this season.

We have so much more to cover. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!

The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday live right after the game. Click here to catch!


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