Could this trade by the Seahawks land them Texans’ J.J. Watt?

Seattle needs to fix the pass rush, but can they afford to add J.J. Watt?

Jamal Adams currently is tied for the lead in Seattle for sacks. Here’s the problem: He has two and has missed the past three games.

The Seattle Seahawks‘ inability to find a pass rusher now leaves questions in a competitive NFC West. It’ll be hard to land a premier cornerback to fix the secondary, so stability and pressure to any backfield should keep their lackluster defense in the running for a deep postseason run.

If Seattle is smart, they’ll trade to land someone like Houston Texans star J.J. Watt. And yes, while Texans fans are gritting their teeth reading those words in that order, the 1-6 start could lead to the team going into rebuild mode. If so, Watt could be shipped out for the right price.

But what exactly is that price? When breaking it down, it’s at least a second-round and fourth-round pick just to enter the chat. Anything higher than that and Houston must pull the trigger.

How much is J.J. Watt actually worth?

In a normal deadline, Houston would likely only part ways with the 31-year-old defensive end for multiple first-round picks. Unfortunately, they don’t have that luxury after the mess Bill O’Brien made as the general manager. Despite hauling in a prime left tackle in Laremy Tunsil last season, it cost the Texans a pair of first-rounders and a second for 2021.

Houston’s first pick in April won’t come until late Day 2 of the draft, so trading away talent for draft capital is essential. Any player brought into the O’Brien system is on the chopping block, so both Kenny Stills and Brandin Cooks should be a hot commodity, as would Darren Fells and Duke Johnson.

But what about Watt? How much can Jack Easterby jack up the asking price?

Watt’s production has diminished since his impressive 2018 campaign. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year has collected 24 total tackles, five tackles for losses, three sacks and a forced fumble over the past seven game. And with comments coming after a 35-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers, what does Watt owe the organization at this point?

Watt currently is set to make $15.5 million in 2020 and $17.5 in 2021. For Seattle, who at the moment is sitting with $3.32 million entering the final week before the deadline, they would have to find partners to trade assets already on the roster now to free up the cap.

Would the Texans be willing to pay for J.J. Watt to join the 12th Man?

Signing Watt would likely lead to Seattle finding a trade partner for tight end Jacob Hollister. Greg Olsen has seen a majority of snaps and the former Patriot is set to make $3.25 million this year. Other names, such as Cedric Ogbuehi, Quinton Dunbar, B.J. Finney and Brandon Shell all could be moved to free up more space for Watt’s addition.

In 2021, Seattle will have roughly $30 million in cap space but must save some of it to pay Adams, who they traded two first-round picks for earlier this offseason to get. The Seahawks might also have to up the price to secure Watt’s services while the Texans pick up part of his salary for the remainder of the season.

In that case, perhaps a pair of second-round picks in 2021 and 2022, plus an established player, could entice Easterby to pay for Watt to not play at NRG Drive.

Seattle has eight sacks on the year. Yep, eight. Adding Watt to the underachieving pass rush would grant the team a potential phenom that’s looking to break out in a new city.

However, the ball lies in Houston’s court, and they can demand more if the Seahawks are that desperate.

Not picking for the first two days of the draft will sting, but so is failing to capitalize on an MVP season from Russell Wilson. Trading away players and picks to grab Watt and make a postseason push might be risky, but the reward is worth it.