J.J. Watt is entering the penultimate year of his six-year, $100 million contract, but don’t expect the face of the franchise to ask the Houston Texans for a contract extension.
According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year believes it wouldn’t be the right step to take.
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary,” Watt told Houston reporters on a video conference call Wednesday. “I’m not going to sit here and demand anything. If I asked for an extension or money right now, I think that would be the wrong move.”
Watt will count against the Texans’ salary cap to the tune of $15 million, and will incur a $17.5 million hit in 2021, the final year of his contract. Even if Watt isn’t looking for a contract extension, coach and general manager Bill O’Brien may want to meet with him to lower that cap hit. After all, Deshaun Watson is up for an extension in the next two seasons, and quarterback salaries on second contracts account for the largest chunk of a team’s salary cap space.
The former 2011 first-round pick from Wisconsin made All-Pro in 2018 with 16.0 sacks. In 2019, Watt missed the final eight games of the season with a torn pectoral, but managed to return for the AFC wild-card and the AFC divisional.
