Bears among favorites to land J.J. Watt and wreck Packers’ dreams
By John Buhler
The Chicago Bears may sign J.J. Watt, which would make the Green Bay Packers furious.
While everybody and their brother has tried to connect former Houston Texans superstar defensive end J.J. Watt to either the Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers, one team to keep an eye on in his free agency is the Chicago Bears.
Watt was released by the Texans in February after 10 hall-of-fame seasons. Though he is on the wrong side of 30, Watt has a few years left in the tank. While he could go play with his younger brothers Derek and T.J. in Pittsburgh, or head back to his native Wisconsin to play for the Packers, the odds suggest the Bears are a serious player for him as well. Odds are from PointsBet.
Updated odds on J.J. Watt’s next NFL team
- Pittsburgh Steelers: +150
- Green Bay Packers: +400
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +400
- Baltimore Ravens: +600
- Chicago Bears: +700
- Buffalo Bills: +1000
- Dallas Cowboys: +1000
- Los Angeles Rams: +1000
- New England Patriots: +1000
Pittsburgh has the best odds of landing a third Watt at +150. The Packers and the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers are tied for the second best odds at +400. The fourth best odds belong to the Baltimore Ravens at +600. Coming in to round out the top five are the Bears at +700. Four other NFL teams have +1000 to land Watt in his impending free agency.
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Ultimately, Chicago needs a better quarterback if it wants to regularly compete for NFC North crowns. However, getting a future Pro Football Hall of Famer in Watt to accentuate the pass rush will make things harder for Aaron Rodgers and company to move the sticks in Green Bay. Watt may be seen as a traitor to play for the Bears, but money always talks in the business of the NFL.
There may be a more robust free agency market for Watt than we initially realized.