NBC on Yahoo SportsJ.J. Watt: 'I want to be a Houston Texan,' but wants to get paid
The list of players from the 2011 draft that have outperformed Texans defensive end J.J. Watt over the last three years is somewhere between minuscule and non-existent depending on your point of view.
Watt has had to sit and watch as players like Patrick Peterson, Andy Dalton and Richard Sherman have signed long-term deals with their teams, however. Watt says it’s great to see them sign these deals “because it shows that their teams appreciate what work they put in” and said that he wouldn’t mind seeing the same appreciation from the Texans.
“I like to see those guys be shown appreciation so far,” Watt said, via Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. “I hope that I’ve worked hard enough and hopefully I’ve put myself in a situation where I can be shown some of the same appreciation. Hopefully they feel I’ve outplayed my current contract, but the end of the day, we’re paid to play football. If I got paid a little more, I wouldn’t be terribly upset.”
Watt, who is under contract through next season after the Texans exercised their 2015 option on his rookie deal which will pay him the average of the 3rd-25th highest paid defensive ends, made it clear that he’s not thinking about a holdout and said he tries to live by the theory of giving $3 of work for $2 of pay. Still, Watt’s outperformed his current deal and has every reason to want another.
Texans owner Bob McNair said recently that the team would do an extension for Watt if it makes sense, but also pointed out that they could franchise him twice after the 2015 season to assure he remains in town. Such a decision might change Watt’s tune, although there’s plenty of time before push would come to shove on that front.
