Defensive end JJ Watt (6 years/$100M in 2014)
JJ Watt was everything Texans fans would have hoped for, and then some. From the time he was a rookie in 2011, to his final season in Houston in 2020, Watt was someone you had to game plan against week after week. During his time with the Texans, he totaled 101 sacks, 531 tackles, 25 forced fumbles, and even caught three touchdowns. After totaling 36.5 sacks in his first three seasons, Houston rewarded Watt with his mega extension that made him the highest-paid non-quarterback.
Houston’s record-setting contract to Watt was at the time crazy to give to a non-skill position player or quarterback at that. However, as time went on, and he won multiple Defensive Player of the Year, All-Pro, and Sack Leader awards, among others, that contract would turn out to be cheap.
Watt abruptly asked for his release before free agency in 2021, going down as the best Texans pass rusher in history and a top 5 overall player in team history. While he has said recently he’s open to a return “if Demeco Ryans needs it”, he seems to be enjoying retirement too much to come back. His football career will end with a trip to Canton in the not-too-distant future.