JJ Watt took to Twitter on Monday to reveal he will be joining the Arizona Cardinals in free agency; this came after speculation linking him to three other NFL franchises, which sourced from a false Peloton account
Wednesday 3 March 2021 12:55, UK
JJ Watt is set to move to the Arizona Cardinals, following his departure from the Houston Texans after 10 years.
Watt broke the news himself, posting a picture on Twitter of him wearing a Cardinals top while working out alongside the words "source: me".
According to reports, the Cardinals are giving Watt a two-year, $31m deal that includes $23m guaranteed with the player linking up with former Texans team-mate DeAndre Hopkins in Phoenix.
Watt, who will turn 32 on March 22, has been named NFL Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions as well as being a first-team All-Pro five times and winning the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2017 after raising more than $37m for victims of Hurricane Harvey.
The star defensive end left the Texans as their all-time leader in sacks with 101, tackles for loss (172), quarterback hits (282) and forced fumbles (25). He has 531 career tackles, 61 passes defended and 16 fumble recoveries since the Texans made him the No 11 overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft.
Overall, Watt played in 128 games with the Texans, despite losing large parts of his spell with them due to injury - playing in just three games in 2016, five in 2017 and eight in 2019.
Watt was also linked with several franchises in recent weeks and earlier on Monday, took to Twitter to douse widespread reports that a change in his Peloton bio - with the words: "SB56...GB...CLE...BUF" - implied the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills could be his next destination.
The problem?
Watt said he does not own a Peloton.
He soon returned with another post to clear up the situation, revealing he is now going to Arizona.
Watt announced his departure from Houston last month, and given his profile, the 31-year-old's next move has been one of the most closely-monitored stories of the NFL off-season.
He will be hoping to improve the Cardinals' fortunes, after they missed out on the playoffs in the 2020 season after finishing 8-8.
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