J.J. Watt Stays Out of NFC North, Signs With Arizona Cardinals

The Vikings will see Watt in 2020, but they avoided having him land in their division at least.

One of the biggest pieces of the offseason puzzle fell into place on Monday when three-time defensive player of the year J.J. Watt signed with the Arizona Cardinals on a two-year, $31 million deal. 

The Vikings were never a particularly realistic landing spot for Watt, but there was legitimate concern that he would wind up with one of their division rivals. Neither has much cap space, but the Packers are Watt's hometown team and a Super Bowl contender, while the Bears were theoretically in play because Watt's wife plays professional soccer in Chicago. If Watt had ended up in either of those places, he would've been in position to thrash the Vikings' offensive line twice a year for several seasons to come.

In the end, the price tag mattered more than some people expected. Watt reportedly wanted to sign with a contender, but ended up taking a big contract with the Cardinals, who went 8-8 last year (with one of those wins coming on a Hail Mary). Yes, he'll help out a defense that also has Chandler Jones and Budda Baker, but Arizona's D still has plenty of weak spots. The offense has plenty of potential, but there are reasons to be concerned about Kyler Murray's ceiling as a passer and Kliff Kingsbury's coaching ability.

If it all works out, the Cardinals could be very dangerous. Maybe free agents Patrick Peterson and Haason Reddick come back to play with Watt, Jones, and Baker. Maybe Murray takes a step forward as a passer and DeAndre Hopkins has another huge year. If Watt stays healthy, he could be in line for a huge season, especially with Jones drawing a lot of attention.

The Vikings are going to see it firsthand. They're set to play the Cardinals in Phoenix this season, although we won't know when that'll happen until the NFL schedule is released. Who knows if Watt will even play in that game, considering all of the injury issues he's dealt with in recent years.

Regardless, the Vikings have to be breathing a slight sigh of relief that Watt didn't decide to take his talents to Green Bay or Chicago this offseason. He's a problem for Russell Wilson*, Matthew Stafford, and Jimmy Garoppolo* now.

*not guaranteed to be a starting QB in the NFC West this season

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