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J.J. Watt reveals on Twitter he's signing with Cardinals for reported $31 million

After a morning of Twitter-fueled speculation, free agent defensive end J.J. Watt revealed in a tweet Monday that he's signing with the Arizona Cardinals.

The terms of the deal haven't been officially announced, but his two-year contract is reportedly worth $31 million with $23 million guaranteed.

Watt, who will turn 32 in three weeks, spent the first decade of his career with the Houston Texans and established himself as a force. He's a five-time Pro Bowler, Defensive Player of the Year three times and has led the NFL in sacks twice. He's also known for his humanitarian work, having won the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2017 for his incredible hurricane relief efforts in the Houston area.

The Texans' messy implosion during the 2020 season, which has spread into the offseason, likely damaged their relationship with Watt. As he walked off the field with quarterback Deshaun Watson after the final game of their 4-12 season, Watt apologized to him for wasting one of the QB's prime years. In February, Watt asked for and was granted his release and became a free agent.

Defensive end J.J. Watt has signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Defensive end J.J. Watt has signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

In Arizona, Watt will be reunited with former Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who tweeted in celebration of the deal himself. The Texans surprisingly traded Hopkins to the Cardinals a year ago for a minimal return, a move that ended up signaling the forthcoming meltdown of Houston's front office and ownership.

The Cards will face the Texans during the 2021 season, so Watt and Hopkins will have a chance to get revenge on their former team.

Peloton profile wasn't real

As soon as Watt became a free agent, his eventual destination became one of the biggest topics of the offseason. By Monday it had gotten so crazy that someone apparently made up a fake Peloton profile for Watt that named his three top destinations as the Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills.

It didn't take long for Watt to jump on Twitter and debunk the whole thing, shattering the dreams of Packers, Browns and Bills fans around the world.

Fans of those teams were able to keep a flicker of hope alive for less than an hour, which is when Watt announced he was signing with the Cardinals.

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