Buffalo Bills stayed the course and didn’t panic with J.J. Watt
The Buffalo Bills ultimately ended up losing out on free agent J.J. Watt, who signed with the Arizona Cardinals. He would end up signing a two-year deal worth $31 million, with $23 million guaranteed.
The expectation was that Watt would get a deal around $15 million, which he did, but it appears the Bills and general manager Brandon Beane didn’t plan to go that high. In one tweet from John Gambadoro, the Bills were the biggest competitor to the Cardinals. However, he followed that up with another tweet that said the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts actually offered Watt more with the Titans being comparable to the Cardinals deal.
The fact that the Bills were not mentioned in the second tweet indicates that Brandon Beane was only willing to offer so much, which appears to not be as high as the $15 million. If J.J. Watt would have come to Buffalo, it would have been on a discount.
This speaks to a culture shift within the franchise and the team no longer making panic moves or splash moves for headlines. There is no question that J.J. Watt would have helped this defense as he is still an excellent pass rusher but also does a good job against the run.
Was told the Cardinals beat out 9 teams for JJ Watt. Buffalo was biggest competition
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) March 1, 2021
The deal JJ Watt signed with the Cardinals was NOT the most he was offered. The Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts each offered more money. Tennessee's offer was very similar.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) March 1, 2021
The question is if the Bills were to sign Watt, what would it have cost them? The addition of Watt likely meant that Matt Milano, Daryl Williams, and possibly Jon Feliciano all leave in free agency. It would also mean cutting players like Mario Addison, John Brown, Vernon Butler and Quinton Jefferson to create the necessary cap space to make a deal like that work.
When taking into account the players they potentially could lose to add an aging defensive end, there is a case that the team wouldn’t have been better in the long run. The Buffalo Bills over the past few seasons have built a well-balanced roster with few glaring weaknesses due in large part to avoiding these headline-grabbing moves.
3 reasons against signing J.J. Watt. dark. Next
Ultimately the decision to not go any higher, if that was the case, is going to be judged on what the Buffalo Bills and Brandon Beane do the rest of the offseason. At this point in time though, it appears it was the right move for the Bills not panic to just sign the big-name free agent.