Here's why JJ Watt chose to join the Cardinals: report - Fox News

JJ Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, announced on Monday that he will be joining the Arizona Cardinals. He tweeted a photo of himself while lifting weights in a Cardinals shirt.

"source: me," Watt wrote as the caption with the photo.

Watt reportedly agreed to a two-year deal worth $31 million, with $23 million guaranteed. Obviously, he received a nice payday from his new team, but more went into the decision to join the Cardinals, according to an ESPN report.

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Watt’s former Houston Texans teammate DeAndre Hopkins was traded to Arizona last offseason, and Watt will reunite with Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who coached him in Houston. Watt will join Chandler Jones on the defensive line to form one of the most dangerous tandems in all football.

Still, the main reason why Watt joined the Cardinals is because of the high ceiling quarterback Kyler Murray presents in his third season in 2021, ESPN reported.

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Watt’s "first criteria" in choosing a new team was the "quality of the quarterback." Watt appears to have confidence in the former No. 1 overall pick.

"I was told JJ Watt’s first criteria in choosing his team would be the quality of the quarterback. So this seems an endorsement of @K1," ESPN’s Ed Werder tweeted out.

Murray was the NFL’s 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

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Last season, the former Oklahoma star quarterback completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,971 yards and 26 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. Murray added 819 yards on the ground with 11 more scores.

Watt leaves Houston as the longtime face of the franchise. Drafted by the Texans in 2011, Watt won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2012 to 2015. But during his time in Houston, the team won only four of 10 playoff games and were 0-for-4 in divisional title games.

Fox News' Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.

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