J.J. Watt does not appear to be a fit with the Packers. Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports

Packers can't afford to sign All-Pro J.J. Watt?

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 2/19/21

Almost immediately after three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans officially parted ways on Feb. 12, some began to link him with the Green Bay Packers.

Watt grew up in Wisconsin and played his college football with the Badgers. The Packers have reigning Most Valuable Player and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback and were a win away from playing in Super Bowl LV. A marriage between the two entities makes sense.

Or maybe it doesn't. In fact, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweeted on Friday that the Packers won't be signing Watt:

Making some room for Watt https://t.co/v8kPb6m5Gi
— Chase (@chase___s) February 19, 2021

I see where it might look like that, but the #Packers are not going to sign Watt. They have to get under the cap and they have too many others they need to re-sign/extend. Unless the market somehow collapses on him, he'll sign for way more than GB can pay. It's not a good match. https://t.co/tI0GcChICS
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) February 19, 2021

They will do something. They can gain all kinds of room by guaranteeing salary and adding years. It's just a matter of how far do you push his charges out. Do you want him counting $25M in dead money when he leaves or do you want to keep it at $5M or $10M? https://t.co/3l0oEUqY1u
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) February 19, 2021

The Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans are among playoff teams that are reported suitors pursuing Watt during the second half of February, and the Spotrac NFL team salary cap tracker suggests all of those clubs would win a bidding war over the Packers.

It's worth noting that NFL clubs employ cap specialists just for these scenarios, and also that Watt has earned millions upon millions of dollars from league contracts and endorsements over the years. The veteran who turns 32 next month could offer the Packers a significant discount to return home and potentially finish his career with Green Bay.

The latest development in "Watt Watch" could be summarized in four words: Free agency is wild.

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