JJ Watt is a sought after NFL free agent. A report came out over the weekend that 12 teams were interested in Watt already. Green Bay Packers were not on that shortlist. But fear not, Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated reported that the Packers are, in fact, interested in the former Wisconsin Badgers defensive lineman. They join the party with the countless others that hope to bring Watt to their team. Many people including yours truly pointed out the cap hell that the Packers are in right now, but that doesn’t seem to matter in their pursuit of Watt. Why that is worth chewing on a little bit more.

Couple days ago, ESPN reported that about a dozen teams were interested in signing J.J. Watt.
The #Packers are one. So, that's newsworthy … though expected.https://t.co/Q5h7YQg77h

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberSI) February 14, 2021

Watt can sign with an NFL team right now. He doesn’t have to wait until the new year starts for the NFL. That date is March 17th, so, we’re a month away from free agency. This could explain why the Packers are looking at Watt now versus if he was available as a free agent next month. If Green Bay can figure out what Watt’s price range will be for the Packers, they can work on maneuvering him into their 51-man roster right now versus having to clear cap space as the new year is ongoing. I have to think that makes things easier on Russ Ball. The question is can the Packers sell Watt on the hometown appeal?

There are a lot of teams who want his services though. And ones with likely more money than the Packers can offer. Some of the teams mentioned that we’re not the obvious ones like Tennessee, Buffalo, and Cleveland scare me. The reason being is they might dump the brinks trunk knowing JJ would rather sign with his hometown team or where his brothers play, so, they can compensate more. All playoff teams last season and all could use help on the defensive line. Watt in a Browns uniform would look very bizarre though, I have to admit.

We’ll see as the Watt turns.

Charlie.