5 teams where J.J. Watt could win a Super Bowl ring
By Peter Panacy
J.J. Watt landing spot No. 2: Green Bay Packers
Why not go back to his home state?
The Green Bay Packers would also make a lot of sense for J.J. Watt in 2021. Not unlike the Seahawks, the Packers are regular Super Bowl contenders thanks to quarterback Aaron Rodgers and almost regardless of the supporting offensive and defensive cast around him.
EDGE Preston Smith endured a regression in 2020 after posting a 12-sack campaign the previous year. He might end up being a cap casualty, but the Packers would still like to pair a premier pass-rusher along with Za’Darious Smith.
Watt could help do that in a big way.
But parting ways with Preston Smith won’t get the job done in of itself. The Packers would have to let a number of pending free agents walk, engineer some additional cap space by cutting some key players and likely free up more money by restructuring Rodgers’ contract, as this article by Lombardi Ave’s Christian Borman pointed out.
As things stand now, Green Bay is over $28 million above the salary cap for 2021, so this would get tricky.
Yet the addition of Watt might be too enticing for the Packers to pass up, and he could be that final X-factor they need to get back to the Super Bowl.