Cardinals owner flies out, picks up J.J. Watt to bring him back to Arizona
Mar 1, 2021, 7:45 PM | Updated: 8:41 pm
Do you remember your first day going to work at your new job? Did your boss pick you up in his private jet and fly you to the office?
Me neither.
The newest member of the Arizona Cardinals J.J. Watt is not most people. The five-time Pro Bowler was swooped up by team owner Michael Bidwill and as of Monday afternoon was inbound to his new home.
pretty convenient when the owner is also a pilot…
see you soon @AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/adSnqfqtNN
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 1, 2021
Watt arrived later that day, speaking for the first time as a member of the Cardinals.
"The one thing I can promise you is I'm gonna work my ass off every single day to make you proud."@JJWatt has arrived in Arizona. pic.twitter.com/Kyy28GZDhM
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) March 2, 2021
“I’m very excited. My wife and I are very excited to be here,” he said. “Mr. Bidwill, (general manager) Steve (Keim), everybody here has been unbelievable so far and I’m just excited to get started. I’m very excited to get started, get to work, get to know the people of Arizona and to go to work, to try and help them win a championship.”
“The one thing that I can promise you is I’m gonna work my ass off every single day to make you proud. Very proud to be a part of the Bird Gang and the Red Sea. Let’s get started.”
If any new hire is worth personally escorting, it’s Watt.
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The 31-year-old is widely thought of as one of the most dominant players of his era and one of the greatest defensive linemen in the history of the NFL.
He has 101 career sacks, which puts him 31st all-time, an even more impressive record when you factor in that three injury-riddled seasons for Watt combined into 16 games played.
With that, Watt will certainly have something to prove in the Valley. After a 16-sack season in 2018, Watt had only four in 2019 through eight games and five in a full 16-game season last year.
The Cardinals guaranteed $23 million of Watt’s two-year, $31 million deal, so they paid for that high-end production that made Watt’s name ring through the sports world on Monday.
