Bills, J.J. Watt Have Mutual Interest Per Report

According to Kimberly Martin of ESPN, J.J. Watt and the Buffalo Bills have a mutual interest, adding to the list of potential suitors for the free agent defensive lineman.

The Buffalo Bills are the latest team to be mentioned as a potential contender for the services of free agent defensive lineman J.J. Watt per a report from Kimberly Martin of ESPN. A list that includes the Cleveland Browns and has at least mentioned the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans, everyone wants Watt and it's entirely about which teams he has an interest.

Count the #Bills as one of several teams looking to add JJ Watt. I'm told the Bills have inquired about Watt -- and the interest is definitely mutual.

We’ll talk #WattWatch, Wentz, Big Ben’s future — and more — on NFL Live today! Join us, won’t you? 😏 @mspears96 @ESPNBooger pic.twitter.com/c7wNYdR0I9

— Kimberley A. Martin (@ByKimberleyA) February 17, 2021

The Bills made it to the AFC Championship last year, being thoroughly defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs. It's not a surprise that Watt would at least investigate. They have a potent offense led by the volatile Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs and their defense has a good amount of talent on it.

The big problem is that Watt would be going to another team that needs him to be the best player on the unit. Jerry Hughes is a good player, but the rest of the group is largely made up of underwhelming journeymen. So while Watt would potentially have a shot to get a championship, he would be doing the same amount of heavy lifting he did with the Houston Texans.

The Browns have a team in position to compete for a Super Bowl, but the presence of Myles Garrett is the biggest asset playing to their advantage. No one save the Los Angeles Rams can compare on that front and they may not be able to pay him.

The Titans interest was confirmed by their general manager in a press conference. It's not clear if Watt is interested in the Titans. They have a number of free agent challenges to deal with in addition to the fact their defense was terrible in 2020.

The Green Bay Packers have Aaron Rodgers, which automatically makes them an attractive spot. They are currently trying to deal with salary cap issues to even be able to make a run at Watt, but they are set to lose free agents including running back Aaron Jones this offseason.

The other variable that's still an issue is timeline. Watt sounds like he'd like to make a decision relatively quickly, but he's never been recruited like this. He was not heavily recruited in college and this is the first time he's gotten to experience free agency.

It stands to reason that the quicker Watt decides, the quicker his new team can try to build the team around him and recruit other potential free agents to the team, but he may enjoy this for at least a little while.

READ MORE: Browns Draft Musings - Defining the Defense