Was money the biggest factor in JJ Watt signing with Cardinals?

JJ Watt shocked the NFL world on Monday when he signed with the Arizona Cardinals, especially after it had been widely reported that he wanted to play for a surefire Super Bowl contender. In the end, it seems like he followed the money.

Watt signed a two-year, $31 million deal with the Cardinals that includes $23 million guaranteed. One report claimed he turned down more money from other teams to sign with Arizona, but that has since been refuted.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media said Tuesday that the money Watt got was more than the other teams that wanted him were anticipating. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports was told that the $23 million guaranteed Watt is getting is closer to the total amount the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns offered.

Unless the #Colts, #Browns and #Titans are straight up lying, this is not what I’ve been told. I’ve been told by multiple Watt suitors that the $23 million guaranteed in Watt’s Arizona deal was near ceiling for their total $. Teams were trying to get Watt for roughly $12 mil per. https://t.co/elWPjOReD1

— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) March 2, 2021

That meshes with what Rapoport said, which is that teams anticipated Watt getting offers in the neighborhood of $12 million per year.

The Cardinals aren’t a bad team. They finished 8-8 last season and were inconsistent, but they have plenty of room to grow with Kyler Murray entering a pivotal third NFL season. That said, you could make the argument that Arizona is further from Super Bowl contention than almost all of the other teams that pursued Watt.

If you watched the emotional speech Watt gave (video here) following a Texans loss last season, you might get the impression that all he cares about is winning. His decision to sign with the Cardinals proves it is not quite that simple.