<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/watt-2.jpg"></figure><h1>J.J. Watt went to hilarious lengths to keep free agency decision private before joining Cardinals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-03T15:17:21-08:00">March 3rd, 3:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-03T15:18:04-08:00">March 3rd, 3:18pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When J.J. Watt finally made the announcement on his decision to sign with the Arizona Cardinals, the news took the NFL world by surprise. As it turns out, this was exactly how Watt wanted things to pan out. So much so, that the five-time All-Pro DE actually went to hilarious lengths just to be able to keep his final decision a secret up until the last minute.</p><p>As reported by Kevin Zimmerman of <a href="https://twitter.com/KZimmermanAZ/status/1366846376672333824">AZ Sports</a>, Watt did everything he could to keep his decision private:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">LMAO: J.J. Watt kept his process of free agency to himself. He ordered 4-5 shirts of the teams that were finalists before he decided. </p><p>He was so paranoid about the packaging facility people leaking those shirts that he made a friend use a credit card and address to order it.</p><p>— Kevin Zimmerman (@KZimmermanAZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/KZimmermanAZ/status/1366846376672333824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>For starters, that was actually a smart move from J.J. At this day and age, information is gold, and the folks over in the packaging facility would have probably leaked whatever information they obtained as soon as they saw Watt’s name on the delivery address (no offense meant to the hardworking folks in the various packaging facilities across the nation).</p><p>Second, we’d sure like to know what those other four teams were. Watt was linked to pretty much every other <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals">team</a> in the NFL so it would be interesting to see which other teams almost brought the former Houston Texans star to their squad before he joined the Cardinals.</p><p>Although, this is probably not something I’d like to know if I were a fan of one of the other four teams. Knowing that my team almost signed a quality player such as Watt only to be outdone by the Cardinals would probably sting a bit too much. As they say, ignorance is bliss.</p><p>Whatever the case may be, Watt’s efforts to keep his decision a secret worked. Not many expected him to sign with the Cardinals, which increased the shock value of the move tenfold.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

J.J. Watt went to hilarious lengths to keep free agency decision private before joining Cardinals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cardinals-J.J.-Watt.jpg"></figure><h1>Full details of J.J. Watt’s contract with Cardinals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-03T12:39:30-08:00">March 3rd, 12:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-03T12:39:55-08:00">March 3rd, 12:39pm</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>More details have emerged regarding defensive end J.J. Watt’s two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals, which <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1366444807258845184">Watt</a> and the <a href="https://twitter.com/AZCardinals/status/1366448643406917632">team</a> announced on Monday, to the surprise of the football world.</p><p>According to <a href="https://twitter.com/AlbertBreer/status/1367152000736067591">Albert Breer of The MMQB</a>, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year will earn a base salary of $28 million from his new ballclub. By reaching certain sack incentives, the 31-year old can bump that number up to $31 million over the next two seasons.</p><p>As was previously reported by <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1366445306636828672">NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport</a>, Watt’s deal includes $23 million in guaranteed money. That total could certainly have helped steer him towards Arizona, as opposed to his native Green Bay Packers, or the opportunity to play with his brothers, T.J. Watt and Derek Watt, with the Pittsburgh Steelers.</p><p>Two other AFC North contenders, the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens were reported to have interest in the five-time Pro Bowler, too.</p><p>As Breer noted, Watt will earn $14.5 million in salary this upcoming season, then $13.5 million in 2022.</p><p>Watt’s decision to sign with the Cardinals makes sense from a football sense, too. Despite a disappointing<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals/schedule"> 8-8 campaign in 2020</a>, head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s group will be a popular pick to come out of the NFC considering QB Kyler Murray’s potential to break out in his third season.</p><p>Watt will re-unite with fellow Houston Texans legend DeAndre Hopkins in the desert, and he could form a dynamic duo on the defensive line with Chandler Jones.</p><p>Hopkins expressed his excitement about the Watt signing soon after the news dropped on Monday.</p><p>Last season, Watt ranked 15th in pass rush win rate, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30985209/jj-watt-announces-signing-arizona-cardinals">per ESPN</a>. He posted five sacks, two forced fumbles, and 17 QB hits in 2020.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Full details of J.J. Watt’s contract with Cardinals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/J.J.-Watt_s-stealthy-move-leading-up-to-surprise-announcement.jpg"></figure><h1>J.J. Watt’s stealthy move leading up to surprise Cardinals announcement</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-02T13:35:18-08:00">March 2nd, 1:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-02T13:36:51-08:00">March 2nd, 1:36pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New Arizona Cardinals defensive star J.J. Watt wanted to announce his free-agency decision on his own terms. Doing so required taking extra care.</p><p>Watt announced Monday he was signing with the Cardinals via Twitter, sharing a picture of himself in a Cardinals shirt:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">source: me. <a href="https://t.co/1Y6okQBUy5" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/1Y6okQBUy5</a></p><p>— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1366444807258845184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year revealed Tuesday he felt the need to go through back channels to get the shirts and prevent a leak from occurring.</p><p>Watt said he had one of his brother’s friends order shirts for the final few teams he was considering, per Cardinals <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardschatter/status/1366848061499006976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1366848061499006976%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1023712action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">beat reporter Darren Urban.</a> The 31-year-old admitted the tactics were “kind of funny, kind of stupid.” It certainly all worked out:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Watt called it "kind of funny, kind of stupid," but bottom line, he shocked the world with his weightlifting-in-the-shirt post, so seems pretty smart in hindsight.</p><p>— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardschatter/status/1366848061499006976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The announcement did have a special sort of “Wow” factor coming from Watt himself. Truthfully, though, it would have been a shocking development regardless of the way in which the story broke.</p><p>Arizona was not necessarily at the top of most lists when it came to Watt’s best suitors. The Cardinals are fresh off an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals/records" rel="noopener">8-8 season</a> and, while they made year-over-year improvements, are hardly established contenders.</p><p>Conversely, there were a number of perennial contenders likely to line up for Watt’s services. The Green Bay Packers appeared to be a logical fit given pass-rushing needs and the fact they are essentially Watt’s hometown team. Signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers would have allowed Watt to play with his two brothers, while joining another AFC North squad would have meant he could play against them twice a season.</p><p>Ultimately, though, Watt chose familiarity with former teammate DeAndre Hopkins and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph already in Arizona. Watt also highlighted Kyler Murray <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-kyler-murray-biggest-reason-jj-watt-chose-arizona/" rel="noopener">as a big part of his choice</a> to sign with the Cardinals, a team that will now be the subject of discussion deep into the NFL offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

J.J. Watt’s stealthy move leading up to surprise Cardinals announcement

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/J.J.-Watt-gets-blessing-to-wear-retired-No.-99.jpg"></figure><h1>J.J. Watt gets blessing to wear retired No. 99 for the Cardinals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-02T09:23:56-08:00">March 2nd, 9:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-02T09:23:56-08:00">March 2nd, 9:23am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>J.J. Watt will not have to change jersey numbers with the Arizona Cardinals after the daughter of former Cardinals running back Marshall Goldberg gave Watt permission to wear the No. 99.</p><p>Ellen Goldberg Tullos told TMZ she would be amenable to the Cardinals unretiring the number for Watt:</p><blockquote>“He has my blessings,” Tullos said of Watt, via <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/jj-watt-99-marshall-goldberg-daughter-gives-blessing-cardinals?campaign=Twitter_atn">Nick Shook of NFL.com</a>, “and I’m sure my father would be more than delighted for him to carry it on.”</blockquote><p>Goldberg played eight seasons with the Cardinals between 1939 and 1948 when the organization was based in Chicago. He made the Pro Bowl in 1941 and won an NFL championship in 1947.</p><p>Watt has spent the entirety of his historic career in the No. 99 jersey. Will he embrace Tullos’ blessing, or choose to wear a different number so as to preserve Goldberg’s legacy? It remains to be seen how Watt will proceed. For now, the Cardinals are just glad the three-time Defensive Player of the Year is headed to the desert.</p><p>Arizona signed Watt to a two-year, $31 million deal, with $23 million guaranteed. The Cardinals now have one of the most imposing duos up front in Chandler Jones and Watt, who rank 1-2 in sacks since 2012. Watt should also help a Cardinals rush defense that ranked 25th in the NFL in yards per carry last season.</p><p>The 31-year-old built quite the resume with the Houston Texans. But Watt is hoping for more team success as he heads to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals/roster">Arizona</a>. Whether he wears No. 99 or another number, Watt will be a vital part of the Cardinals’ ability to be successful in 2021.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

J.J. Watt gets blessing to wear retired No. 99 for the Cardinals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/J.J.-Watt-Cardinals-Chandler-Jones-Seahawks.jpg"></figure><h1>Cardinals’ Chandler Jones with Russell Wilson on the mind after J.J. Watt deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-02T06:21:18-08:00">March 2nd, 6:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-02T06:22:47-08:00">March 2nd, 6:22am</time><address><a>Mike Cruz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Arizona Cardinals beefed up their defense by signing J.J. Watt. Cardinals pass rusher Chandler Jones is thrilled over the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-jj-watt-stuns-nfl-by-heading-arizona/">addition</a> of the 3-time Defensive Player of the Year to their squad. However, he also felt a little bad for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, as he will now need to worry more about Arizona next season.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Also feel bad for my guy RW3 lol</p><p>— ♛Chandler Jones (@chanjones55) <a href="https://twitter.com/chanjones55/status/1366457502036992001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>We’re not entirely sure if Jones is really sympathetic towards the Seahawks star or perhaps he’s expressing a bit of sarcasm there. Nevertheless, Chandler Jones is surely feeling hyped up with J.J. Watt’s arrival to Arizona.</p><p>In fact, Jones even revealed that he volunteered to be Watt’s personal chef if he decided to choose the Cardinals. Perhaps this is what lured the 5-time All-Pro to make the move to Arizona.</p><p>Watt, a 5-time Pro-Bowler as well, himself revealed the news on his <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1366444807258845184">Twitter account</a> by posting a picture of himself sporting a Cardinals shirt while training. Several reports claimed the deal is for two years, $31-million.</p><p>The Houston Texans released Watt earlier this month and several contenders were in the market looking to add a proven veteran star to their squad. Instead, the 31-year old joined a Cardinals team that has failed to make the postseason in half a decade.</p><p>Meanwhile, Seattle could be in peril of parting ways with the quarterback that helped them capture Super Bowl XLVIII. Rumblings of a potential Russell Wilson trade have heated up over the past few weeks, especially after the 8-time Pro-Bowler expressed his frustrations with the franchise. If ever Wilson somehow starts the 2021 season wearing a Seahawks uniform, things aren’t going to be easy for him due to the addition of JJ Watt to the Cardinals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals’ Chandler Jones with Russell Wilson on the mind after J.J. Watt deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/watt.jpg"></figure><h1>J.J. Watt confirms he’s en route to Arizona in Cardinals owners’ private jet</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-01T14:36:27-08:00">March 1st, 2:36pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-01T14:36:27-08:00">March 1st, 2:36pm</time><address><a>Paolo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s official. J.J. Watt is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-jj-watt-stuns-nfl-by-heading-arizona/" rel="noopener">joining</a> the Arizona Cardinals. The sweepstakes turned out to be a bit of a nail-biter, but in the end, Arizona got their man.</p><p>Watt himself took to <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1366504845021229058">Twitter</a> to confirm the news, as he shared a couple of photos of himself inside the team owners’ private jet:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">pretty convenient when the owner is also a pilot… </p><p>see you soon <a href="https://twitter.com/AZCardinals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@AZCardinals</a> <a href="https://t.co/adSnqfqtNN" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/adSnqfqtNN</a></p><p>— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1366504845021229058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Talk about VIP treatment, right?</p><p>Michael Bidwill is currently the principal owner, chairman, and team president of the Cardinals and in case you needed confirmation, he’s the one photographed standing beside Watt on the runway. Bidwill did not only sent a private jet to pick Watt up, but he even served as the aircraft’s pilot. Bidwill probably wanted to make sure that there weren’t going to be any hitches to the deal at the last minute, so to be completely sure, he had to go and bring Watt to Arizona himself.</p><p>Watt’s decision to join the Cardinals — after a rather abrupt exit from the Houston Texans — came as a bit of a surprise for most. The five-time Pro Bowler was linked to more than a couple of other teams from around the league, but in the end, Watt decided that he wanted to call Arizona home.</p><p>It wasn’t too long ago that Watt himself came out to admit how “<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-news-j-j-watt-amazed-by-craziness-of-free-agency/" rel="noopener">wild</a>” free agency was. It didn’t take him too long to sort things out, though. A <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-deandre-hopkins-reacts-reuniting-jj-watt/">reunion</a> with former teammate DeAndre Hopkins is now forthcoming, which at this point, is enough to make any Cardinals fan giddy with excitement.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

J.J. Watt confirms he’s en route to Arizona in Cardinals owners’ private jet

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cardinals-J.J.-Watt-Kyler-Murray.jpg"></figure><h1>Cardinals QB Kyler Murray digs up high school photo to celebrate arrival of J.J. Watt</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-01T13:35:22-08:00">March 1st, 1:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-01T13:35:49-08:00">March 1st, 1:35pm</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Arizona Cardinals were the lucky team to win the sweepstakes for J.J. Watt, in large part due to Kyler Murray being the team’s quarterback. Following Arizona’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-jj-watt-stuns-nfl-by-heading-arizona/">splash move</a> to land Watt, Murray took to Twitter to show an <a href="https://twitter.com/K1/status/1366485198104363014?s=20">old high school photo</a> of him with Watt.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">6 years ago.. my senior year of HS. Welcome to AZ! Let’s get it! <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@JJWatt</a> <a href="https://t.co/yY7j2e9ww4" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/yY7j2e9ww4</a></p><p>— Kyler Murray (@K1) <a href="https://twitter.com/K1/status/1366485198104363014?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>When this picture was taken, the Cardinals quarterback didn’t know if he was going to head to the NFL or the MLB yet. Murray was a talented baseball player outside of being a gifted quarterback, and he was actually a first-round pick by the Oakland Athletics.</p><p>However, Murray had a change of mind after he had success at quarterback during his collegiate career at Oklahoma. He would proceed to become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. It’s safe to say the Cardinals made the right choice.</p><p>On the other hand, Watt was becoming a dominant force in the NFL at the time this picture was taken. From 2012-2015, Watt racked up four consecutive All-Pro nods and won three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards.</p><p>Since his collegiate days, Murray has always had his height scrutinized, especially since he plays the most important position in football. But the dual-threat quarterback didn’t do himself any favors by taking a picture alongside two massive humans in Watt and Karl-Anthony Towns.</p><p>At the least, Murray won’t have to be running away from Watt anymore as the two are<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals/roster"> now teammates</a> with the Cardinals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray digs up high school photo to celebrate arrival of J.J. Watt

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cardinals-news-DeAndre-Hopkins-reacts-to-reuniting-with-J.J.jpg"></figure><h1>Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins reacts to reuniting with J.J. Watt</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-01T12:27:57-08:00">March 1st, 12:27pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-01T12:28:30-08:00">March 1st, 12:28pm</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Arizona Cardinals are starting to look like the Houston Texans of the NFC West.</p><p>In a Monday <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-jj-watt-stuns-nfl-by-heading-arizona/">surprise</a>, free-agent defensive end J.J. Watt announced on Twitter that he would be signing with the Cardinals, reuniting the three-time Defensive Player of the Year with another fellow Texans legend, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.</p><p>Watt and Hopkins starred together for seven seasons in Houston. In the wake of the news, the All-Pro wideout took to Twitter to share his excitement via a clip of Future in the “Life Is Good” music video:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Life is good in Arizona!<a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@JJWatt</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AZCardinals?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@AZCardinals</a> <a href="https://t.co/5xdsljZiXo" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/5xdsljZiXo</a></p><p>— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAndreHopkins/status/1366470977866006531?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>After negotiating a release with the floundering Houston franchise in February, the football world had been eagerly anticipating Watt’s next move ahead of Monday’s decision. The 31-year-old five-time Pro Bowler had suitors across the league, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, who employ both of his brothers, star pass rusher T.J. Watt and fullback/special teamer Derek Watt.</p><p>Two other AFC North contenders, the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens, had reported interest in Watt, as well.</p><p>Watt’s hometown team, the Green Bay Packers, were also thought to be amongst the favorites to land the edge rusher.</p><p>Yet, Watt was clearly lured by Arizona, perhaps due to the $23 million in guaranteed money that will be coming his way. Overall, Watt inked a two-year, $31 million deal to join head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s squad, <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1366445306636828672">according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport</a>. The team quickly <a href="https://twitter.com/AZCardinals/status/1366448643406917632">confirmed</a> the deal.</p><p>In his 10th pro season, Watt posted 5.0 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, and 14 tackles for loss.</p><p>Beginning in 2021, he’ll line up alongside DE Chandler Jones to create a potentially dominant pass-rushing duo. Watt’s run-stuffing prowess should help the Cardinals in that area, too. Arizona finished 25th in opponent yards per carry last season.</p><p>Watt will hope to have the same kind of success as Hopkins did in his first season in Arizona, in which the wideout caught 115 passes for 1,407 yards.</p><p>Arizona finished with an underwhelming 8-8 record, though the sky is the limit for 23-year-old quarterback Kyler Murray. In his second season, the 2019 No. 1 overall pick tossed 26 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, recording a 94.3 passer rating. Murray’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-kyler-murray-biggest-reason-jj-watt-chose-arizona/" rel="noopener">presence reportedly played a key role</a> in Watt’s decision to head to the desert.</p><p>Next up for Houston: Free Deshaun Watson.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins reacts to reuniting with J.J. Watt

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cardinals-news-Kyler-Murray-the-biggest-reason-J.J.jpg"></figure><h1>Report: Kyler Murray the biggest reason J.J. Watt chose Cardinals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-01T12:03:45-08:00">March 1st, 12:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-01T12:04:21-08:00">March 1st, 12:04pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>J.J. Watt has his reasons for signing with the Arizona Cardinals, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-jj-watt-2-year-31-million-deal-cardinals/" rel="noopener">it’s not just the nice bag he secured.</a></p><p>Former Houston Texans teammate DeAndre Hopkins is there. So, too, is defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, whom Watt played for in Houston. Plus, Watt and edge rusher Chandler Jones will form one of the most imposing duos in football.</p><p>However, Kyler Murray’s emerging talent might be the top reason Watt chose the Cardinals.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/WerderEdESPN/status/1366470281175384071?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1366470281175384071%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1022512action%3Dedit" rel="noopener">Ed Werder of ESPN says</a> Watt’s “first criteria” in choosing a new team was the “quality of the quarterback.” Clearly, Watt seems to have ample faith in the former No. 1 overall pick.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">I was told JJ Watt’s first criteria in choosing his team would be the the quality of the quarterback. So this seems an endorsement of <a href="https://twitter.com/K1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@K1</a> <a href="https://t.co/VitQfjrquN" target="_blank">https://t.co/VitQfjrquN</a></p><p>— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/WerderEdESPN/status/1366470281175384071?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Murray dazzled in 2020 after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019.</p><p>The former Oklahoma star completed 67.2 percent of his passes for close to 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed for 819 yards on 6.2 yards per carry, racking up 11 rushing touchdowns. Murray figures to keep elevating his play as he and head coach Kliff Kingsbury continue to grow together, especially if Arizona can add talent in the receiving corps.</p><p>Now, some teams might be a little puzzled by this purported criteria. For example, the Green Bay Packers might have been a team to show interest in Watt, and Aaron Rodgers is fresh off an MVP season. But Watt likely would have had to take a pay cut to join a Packers team somewhat handicapped by salary cap issues. That is not the case with Arizona, as Watt’s deal with the Cardinals is worth $31 million and $23 million guaranteed.</p><p>Signing with the Cardinals offered Watt the chance to maximize his value while also joining a franchise with a player who looks like one of the NFL’s next top stars at the quarterback position.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Report: Kyler Murray the biggest reason J.J. Watt chose Cardinals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cardinals-news-J.J-2.jpg"></figure><h1>J.J. Watt cashing in on Chandler Jones’ offer to be his personal chef after joining Cardinals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-01T11:45:42-08:00">March 1st, 11:45am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-01T11:46:18-08:00">March 1st, 11:46am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Arizona Cardinals star edge rusher Chandler Jones has to make good on a promise he made after J.J. Watt <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-jj-watt-stuns-nfl-by-heading-arizona/" rel="noopener">agreed to sign</a> with the Cardinals on Monday.</p><p>Jones posted a screenshot of him sliding into Watt’s DMs back in mid-February, offering to be the former Houston Texans star’s personal chef if he came to Arizona. He tagged Watt and jokingly asked what the three-time Defensive Player of the Year wanted to eat:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Looks like Chandler Jones is gonna be J.J. Watt's new personal chef 😂</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/chanjones55?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@chanjones55</a>) <a href="https://t.co/XXTKBH51zf" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/XXTKBH51zf</a></p><p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1366465985067294720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It appears Jones had been doing some recruiting behind the scenes. He was not the only Cardinals player attempting to woo Watt.</p><p>DeAndre Hopkins posted an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLXQIZjACPM/">Instagram</a> with this caption: “Let’s finish what we started…” The former Texans teammates have been reunited, as are Watt and current Cardinals defensive coordinator Van Joseph, whom Watt played for in Houston.</p><p>Watt can have a major influence on Arizona’s ability to get to the passer and disrupt matters in the backfield. But Jones’ health will be every bit as important as the Cardinals lean on their dynamic duo to make plays.</p><p>Jones was named First-Team All-Pro after recording 19.0 sacks and a league-high eight forced fumbles in 2019. But he had just a single sack in five games last season before suffering a season-ending biceps injury. His ability to stay on the field will be vital for a Cardinals <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals/roster" rel="noopener">team</a> desperate to win now.</p><p>Arizona has dangerous potential up front if both Jones and Watt are healthy and playing at a high level. Jones will apparently make sure Watt has good eats on deck as the two prepare to lead this new-look Cardinals defense in 2021.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

J.J. Watt cashing in on Chandler Jones’ offer to be his personal chef after joining Cardinals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Grading-J.J.jpg"></figure><h1>Grading J.J. Watt’s 2-year, $31 million deal with Cardinals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-01T11:22:20-08:00">March 1st, 11:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-01T11:23:45-08:00">March 1st, 11:23am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>J.J. Watt caused quite the stir Monday afternoon by announcing he was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-jj-watt-stuns-nfl-by-heading-arizona/">signing</a> a two-year, $31 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals.</p><p>Watt had any number of potential suitors after cutting ties with the Houston Texans. He led fans on a merry chase with a series of cryptic tweets and videos. Ultimately, however, the suspense was well worth it.</p><p>The Cardinals were competitive in 2020. But, at 8-8, they did not seem to have the look of a Super Bowl contender, especially in a loaded NFC West that should see vast improvement from the San Francisco 49ers with better health.</p><p>Watt’s decision to join an up-and-comer in Arizona makes the Cardinals one of the top teams to watch in 2021 while also strengthening the division.</p><p>Is the deal a win for both sides? Time will tell. For now, however, let’s look at what it means both for Watt and the Cardinals.</p><h2><b>Watt gets the bag</b></h2><p>Let’s start with Watt, who did quite well for himself.</p><p>Not only did he get close to $16 million in terms of annual average value, but also managed to get $23 million of his total value guaranteed. That is a pretty nice haul for the 31-year-old, especially considering how the last couple years have gone.</p><p>Watt has an exceptional track record. He is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Pro. But he also has an injury history and is coming off one of his less productive years as a pass rusher.</p><p>The Wisconsin native maximized his value. He almost certainly would have had to take a pay cut to join the likes of the Green Bay Packers or Pittsburgh Steelers.</p><p>Instead, Watt cashes out while rejoining DeAndre Hopkins and Vance Joseph in Arizona.</p><h2>Watt’s Grade: A</h2><h2><b>Cardinals make the win-now move</b></h2><p>This is an awesomely aggressive move from the Cardinals.</p><p>For starters, having both Watt and Chandler Jones on the defensive line will be a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks. Both excel at getting into the defensive backfield and making plays.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Most sacks in the NFL since the start of 2012:<br>1. Chandler Jones: 97<br>2. JJ Watt: 95.5</p><p>Now teammates in Arizona.</p><p>— Field Yates (@FieldYates) <a href="https://twitter.com/FieldYates/status/1366450623768649734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Despite notching just 5.0 sacks last year, Watt still had the <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29939464/2020-nfl-pass-rushing-run-stopping-blocking-leaderboard-win-rate-rankings">eighth-highest</a> pass rush win rate in 2020 among outside linebackers and defensive ends. He ranked sixth in run stop win rate as an edge defender.</p><p>The latter part is especially important. Arizona’s defense ranked 25th in the NFL in yards per carry allowed last season. The Cardinals need guys who can create leverage up front, and they now have that in Watt.</p><p>Indeed, Watt can have an immense impact on Arizona’s defense, a talented group also including Budda Baker and Isaiah Simmons. If the Cardinals can improve the cornerback position and both Jones and Watt are healthy, they might experience the biggest year-over-year growth of any team in football.</p><p>Arizona could be a threat in the NFC. The offense has explosive potential, more so if the Cardinals add talent at wide receiver. Now, the front seven has another marquee threat who can galvanize the defense and change the complexion of the NFC West.</p><h2>Cardinals Grade: A+</h2><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Grading J.J. Watt’s 2-year, $31 million deal with Cardinals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Cardinals-news-J.J.jpg"></figure><h1>J.J. Watt stuns the NFL by heading to Cardinals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-03-01T10:17:07-08:00">March 1st, 10:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-03-01T10:18:49-08:00">March 1st, 10:18am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After weeks of speculation, free-agent defensive lineman J.J. Watt has found a new home with the Arizona Cardinals.</p><p>Watt stunned the NFL world on Monday<a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1366444807258845184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1366444807258845184%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1022440action%3Dedit" rel="noopener"> by announcing</a> he would be signing with Arizona. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network <a href="https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1366445306636828672" rel="noopener">reports</a> the deal is for two years and $31 million, with $23 million of that guaranteed. The Cardinals <a href="https://twitter.com/AZCardinals/status/1366448643406917632" rel="noopener">have already confirmed the agreement.</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">source: me. <a href="https://t.co/1Y6okQBUy5" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/1Y6okQBUy5</a></p><p>— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JJWatt/status/1366444807258845184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">March 1, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>This is a shocking development given the Cardinals were not seen as one of the top favorites to land Watt.</p><p>The Green Bay Packers seemed to have intrigue as Watt’s hometown team. The Pittsburgh Steelers would have offered him the chance to play with his brothers, and other AFC North teams like the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens also seemed like interesting fits. Even this year’s Super Bowl participants might have shown interest in Watt.</p><p>Instead, the 31-year-old is heading to the desert, where he rejoins former Houston Texans teammate DeAndre Hopkins <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals/roster" rel="noopener">on the roster.</a></p><p>Not only is this an aggressive play for the Cardinals, but it is a stroke of genius. Watt lines up opposite Chandler Jones to form the most imposing pass-rushing duo in the NFL. Moreover, Arizona’s defense ranked 25th in yards per carry allowed last season. Watt is one of the best run-stuffers in football, a guy who repeatedly makes plays in the backfield and lines up everywhere along the defensive line.</p><p>Although the Cardinals might not have the look of a bona fide contender, they have explosive offensive potential with Kyler Murray leading the way. Arizona also made gains defensively last season, with some talented personnel in the secondary.</p><p>Watt could have a transformative impact on the front seven, an impact possibly big enough to make Arizona a legitimate threat in the NFC.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

J.J. Watt stuns the NFL by heading to Cardinals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Larry-Fitzgerald-Cardinals.jpg"></figure><h1>Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald reveals latest stance on NFL future, retirement</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-28T10:23:04-08:00">February 28th, 10:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-28T10:24:51-08:00">February 28th, 10:24am</time><address><a>Immanuel Canicosa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a season that saw the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals">Arizona Cardinals</a> finish with an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals/schedule">8-8 record</a> and miss the playoffs for a fifth straight season, the question now turns to the team’s future. One player who remains unsure whether he’ll be back with the Cardinals next season is wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. This time last year, Fitzgerald announced that he would return to Arizona for his 17th season, but still appears to be undecided on whether to return for Year 18.</p><p>As the NFL moves closer to the start of free agency, neither the Cardinals organization nor his teammates know about the 37-year-old wideout’s decision. When asked about it, Fitzgerald has also remained tight-lipped about his potential return, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/bradcesmat/status/1365766784062689283">Brad Cesmat of sports.360az.com</a>.</p><p>When asked about his plans while attending a charity golf event, Fitzgerald told Cesmat that nothing had changed about his plans, while saying that the only thing he knew was that he was about to play some golf.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Caught up with Fitz in Tucson this afternoon. Asked him for a update on his NFL future. <a href="https://t.co/SBxMT1h6bA" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/SBxMT1h6bA</a></p><p>— Brad Cesmat (@bradcesmat) <a href="https://twitter.com/bradcesmat/status/1365766784062689283?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 27, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It may take the 11-time Pro Bowler more time than usual to make his decision about his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cardinals-news-larry-fitzgerald-speaks-out-looming-retirement-decision/">future</a>, but it appears that the Cardinals organization is willing to wait for him and is giving him enough time and space, <a href="https://twitter.com/Cardschatter/status/1362418273921294339">including team owner Michael Bidwill</a>.</p><p>Fitzgerald, who once led the NFL in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in two different seasons, finished with 54 receptions and 409 receiving yards and one touchdown in 13 games for Arizona last season.</p><p>He is not the same player that he was in seasons past when he became known as one of the greatest players at his position. But it is clear that Fitzgerald remains an important part of the Cardinals, both in the eyes of the owners and his teammates.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald reveals latest stance on NFL future, retirement

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/DeAndre-Hopkins-takes-yet-another-shot-at-the-Texans-amid-Deshaun-Watson-trade-saga-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>DeAndre Hopkins takes yet another shot at the Texans amid Deshaun Watson trade saga</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-26T11:46:05-08:00">February 26th, 11:46am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-26T11:46:05-08:00">February 26th, 11:46am</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins continues to troll the Houston Texans for their inept managerial decisions and poor culture.</p><p>Hopkins <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAndreHopkins/status/1365373136624115722">quote-tweeted</a> the Cardinals’ tweet commemorating his first season in the desert, with the caption “[And] they said I’m only worth a 2nd rounder.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">An they said I’m only worth a 2nd rounder 😂😂😂 <a href="https://t.co/vXN2wqXrV8" target="_blank">https://t.co/vXN2wqXrV8</a></p><p>— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAndreHopkins/status/1365373136624115722?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The caption is an obvious allusion to the shocking trade that sent Hopkins to Arizona.</p><p>Former Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien stunned the NFL world last March by sending the three-time All-Pro to the Cardinals in exchange for running back David Johnson in addition to a 2020 second-round pick and a 2021 fourth-round pick.</p><p>The deal was almost universally disparaged and was essentially the first big step towards O’Brien’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/texans-news-bill-obrien-speaks-out-after-getting-fired-houston/">eventual dismissal</a>.</p><p>Hopkins certainly made the Texans look foolish. He finished in a tie for second in receptions (115), also ranking third in receiving yards (1,407). The Texans, meanwhile, dealt with injuries in the receiving corps and were further depleted due to Will Fuller’s suspension.</p><p>Arizona looks like a team on the rise while Houston is in utter turmoil. Deshaun Watson has said multiple times he has no intention of playing another season with the Texans. He is receiving support from former Texans receivers Andre Johnson and, of course, Hopkins.</p><p>Johnson shared a tweet suggesting Watson hold his ground. Hopkins quote-tweeted Johnson, saying “When Dre speak listen.” The former Clemson standout also responded to a recent Watson tweet about loyalty.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">When Dre speak listen. <a href="https://t.co/hMdP2rsUJr" target="_blank">https://t.co/hMdP2rsUJr</a></p><p>— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAndreHopkins/status/1349090648297771011?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 12, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">it’s a code we live by. <a href="https://t.co/3fgteAb9jb" target="_blank">https://t.co/3fgteAb9jb</a></p><p>— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeAndreHopkins/status/1365367936060444672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Hopkins might be with a new franchise, but he seems intent on making his old team the butt of every joke.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeAndre Hopkins takes yet another shot at the Texans amid Deshaun Watson trade saga

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/2-perfect-fits-for-Christian-Kirksey-in-free-agency-after-release-from-Packers.jpg"></figure><h1>2 perfect fits for Christian Kirksey in free agency after release from Packers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-21T09:56:17-08:00">February 21st, 9:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-21T09:56:17-08:00">February 21st, 9:56am</time><address><a>Jeremy Chua</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Green Bay Packers started their offseason with a big move as they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/packers-news-christian-kirksey-cut-by-green-bay/">parted</a> ways with linebacker Christian Kirksey after a lone season in Wisconsin. He previously signed a two-year, $13 million contract in last year’s offseason but ultimately failed to live up to the expectations set upon him.</p><p>He registered a total of 77 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and two interceptions in 11 games played for Green Bay. More than anything, the Packers’ decision to release him was to make room for more cap space in a bid to make significant additions to their roster in the coming offseason. Kirksey’s current contract incurred a cap hit of $7.6 million for the 2020 season and is set to carry $2 million worth of dead money.</p><p>Despite being cut, Kirksey is still heading to the peak of his career at 28 years old and can still serve as a serviceable asset to any team that is lacking production in their run defense.</p><p>Here are the two best fits for the Iowa product heading to the 2021 NFL season:</p><h2><b>Buffalo Bills</b></h2><p>The Buffalo Bills may have overachieved in 2020 but they could’ve done even better if only they had a deeper defensive rotation. Their inconsistency on defense eventually haunted them in the postseason when they gave up 24 points to the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Round, before their offensive attack saved them and scored 27 to advance to the next round.</p><p>After a great game against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round, the Bills’ defense faltered once more when they faced the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game. Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier didn’t have an answer to the Chiefs’ scoring run as opposing quarterback Patrick Mahomes easily led his team to a 38-24 victory.</p><p>Needless to say, the Bills desperately need a versatile linebacker who could come in and improve their run defense that <a href="https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-rushing-yards-per-game">ranked</a> 20th in the league, and Christian Kirksey would be a great option. In fact, veteran defensive end Trent Murphy is already heading to the offseason as an unrestricted free agent while pass-rusher Jerry Hughes is entering the final year of his deal in the coming season.</p><p>While rookie defensive end A.J. Epenesa is turning out to be a promising player, the Bills would be wise if they can add more depth in their defensive rotation for the coming season. Addressing the gaping holes in that area of the field may potentially turn the Bills into a more complete team that can make longer postseason runs in the years to come.</p><h2><b>Dallas Cowboys</b></h2><p>Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones already made a bevy of moves to address their dismal defensive unit last season. However, the experiment didn’t work out as their recruits underwhelmed, thus leading to their failure to contain opposing offenses. They were only <a href="https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-yards-per-pass-attempt">listed</a> in the 21st spot in yards per pass attempt allowed while <a href="https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/opponent-points-per-game">settling</a> for the 28th place in points allowed per game.</p><p>Despite the lowly rankings, all hope is not yet lost for Jones and his Cowboys squad. Former Pro Bowl linebacker Jaylon Smith proved to be a bright spot for the team as he amassed 154 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, and an interception in 16 appearances.</p><p>Meanwhile, veteran linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was productive as he recorded 60 total tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble last season. Despite his numbers, he still found himself missing significant action as he broke his collarbone in Week 1 and sustained an ankle injury in the last two games of the season.</p><p>On the other hand, another tenured veteran in Sean Lee has yet to decide if he will still play in 2021 after his one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Cowboys has already expired. Similar to Vander Esch, the 34-year-old was ruled out for a number of games as he had to undergo hernia surgery in the early stages of the season.</p><p>Amid all the uncertainty in the linebackers group, the Cowboys can certainly use a player like Christian Kirksey who is aiming to have a comeback season after going through an injury-derailed campaign in 2020.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2 perfect fits for Christian Kirksey in free agency after release from Packers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Packers-news-Christian-Kirksey-a-surprise-cut-by-Green-Bay-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>Christian Kirksey cut by Packers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-19T13:38:28-08:00">February 19th, 1:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-19T13:38:53-08:00">February 19th, 1:38pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Green Bay Packers signed Christian Kirksey to a two-year deal last March. Less than one year later, he has been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/49ers-video-raheem-mostert-rushes-for-third-td-of-first-half-vs-packers/">cut from the roster.</a></p><p>Both Kirksey and offensive tackle Rick Wagner were released Friday as the Packers desperately try to manifest additional cap space.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Packers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Packers</a> release LB Christian Kirksey &amp; T Rick Wagner <a href="https://t.co/8brHVfMSog" target="_blank">https://t.co/8brHVfMSog</a></p><p>— Green Bay Packers (@packers) <a href="https://twitter.com/packers/status/1362869602024370179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 19, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Kirksey gave the Packers decent <a href="https://twitter.com/packers/status/1362869602024370179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1362869602024370179%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1012214action%3Dedit">production in 2020.</a> He finished with 2.0 sacks, 77 combined tackles and a pair of interceptions, occasionally playing inside and also shading outside in soft zones and cover schemes.</p><p>However, Green Bay is on the precipice of a slight overhaul, and Kirksey is one of the first casualties.</p><p>Kirksey carried a cap hit of over $7.6 million in 2020, with a dead-cap hit of $2 million. Green Bay will save over $4 million in cap by cutting ties with Wagner.</p><p>It is unlikely the Packers are done making cuts. Outside linebacker Preston Smith could also be let go, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling might be another candidate to hit the chopping block. Green Bay might also look to restructure Aaron Rodgers’ contract, if he is so inclined.</p><p>The Packers have to free things up for a few reasons. First and foremost, running back Aaron Jones is a free agent, and Green Bay will likely have to make a fairly substantial offer to retain his services. Additionally, they seem like major players in terms of teams capable of making a run at J.J. Watt. The former Houston Texans star is from Wisconsin, and Green Bay could offer Watt his best chance at a Super Bowl.</p><p>In any case, creating cap flexibility often comes with tough choices. Kirksey fell victim to one of those choices Friday, though the 28-year-old should not have any problem finding employment after a solid campaign.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Christian Kirksey cut by Packers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cardinals-news-deandre-hopkins-recruiting-jj-watt-to-arizona.jpg"></figure><h1>DeAndre Hopkins recruiting J.J. Watt to Cardinals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-16T12:17:53-08:00">February 16th, 12:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-16T12:18:29-08:00">February 16th, 12:18pm</time><address><a>Marty Fenn</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Arizona Cardinals star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins wants to see free-agent defensive lineman J.J. Watt join him in the desert.</p><p>The three-time All-Pro took to Instagram to recruit Watt, posting a photo of the two with a rather direct caption:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="instagram-media"><div style="padding: 16px;"><p> </p><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div><div style="display: flex;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div><div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"><div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div><div></div><div></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div><div></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"><div></div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div style="display: flex; margin-bottom: 24px;"><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div><div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div><p> </p><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLXQIZjACPM/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" rel="noopener" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Deandre Hopkins (@deandrehopkins)</a></p></div></blockquote><p><br>The caption alludes to their days as teammates with the Houston Texans.</p></figure><p>Houston shockingly traded Hopkins to the Cardinals last March amid his purported dispute with then-head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien. After a season full of turmoil and frustration, Watt and the Texans <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/texans-news-houston-release-jj-watt/" rel="noopener">agreed to part ways this offseason.</a> Houston cut Watt, and Hopkins hopes his former teammate signs with the Cardinals.</p><p>The fit is pretty obvious. Arizona struggled against the run last season. The pass rush was fairly surprising, considering Chandler Jones played all of five games. But adding Watt would fortify the defensive front and give the Cardinals a noted playmaker.</p><p>Of course, Arizona also has plenty of needs in the secondary, as veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson will not return in 2021. The Cardinals might also look to add a more legitimate No. 2 receiver to complement Hopkins.</p><p>Still, the Cardinals could well look to sign Watt. Arizona’s defense experienced tremendous year-over-year improvement, and the offense has explosive potential with Kyler Murray under center.</p><p>Hopkins is appealing to Watt’s sentimentality, but also undoubtedly feels the Cardinals are better off with the three-time Defensive Player of the Year on the roster.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

DeAndre Hopkins recruiting J.J. Watt to Cardinals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/cardinals.jpg"></figure><h1>Arizona Cardinals: 1 player who could be a surprise roster cut in 2021 offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-14T17:56:47-08:00">February 14th, 5:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-14T17:57:21-08:00">February 14th, 5:57pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Arizona Cardinals seemed like a surefire playoff team in the NFC and at times looked like the best team in the NFC West. They jumped out to a 5-2 record and ended up finishing with an 8-8 record as they hit some road bumps down the latter half of the season.</p><p>Kyler Murray was a bit of a mixed bag in his sophomore season, but he still finished with 3,971 yards and 26 touchdowns with six picks on the year, and he battled a few injuries over the final month.</p><p>Murray also had the second-most yards rushing on the team with 819, and only 150 yards by running back Kenyan Drake, and it’s safe to say they will try their best to address that position in the offseason.</p><p>As they head into the offseason the Cardinals will have around $13.5 million in cap space, and nothing is set in stone until the league sets the official number regarding the 2021 salary cap.</p><p>The Cardinals looked like one of the best teams in all of football before unraveling and tripping to a .500 record, and they will have to spend the next few months making improvements in an effort to make the playoffs in 2021 as they sit in one of the toughest divisions in all of football.</p><p>Kliff Kingsbury is determined to take this team to the next level and they will have a lot of questions that need to be answered this offseason, even more so after the disappointing finish.</p><p>They have a decent amount of cap space, but the more the better, and this player might be in jeopardy of being cut as the Cardinals look to take it to the next level.</p><h2>CB Robert Alford</h2><p>Alford has the 7th-highest cap hit for 2021, and most of the ones in front of him aren’t going anywhere. <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/arizona-cardinals/cap/">Alford has a hit of $9 million next year</a>, and the Cardinals have unfortunately watched Alford get injured for the past two seasons after signing him a couple of years back to a three-year deal.</p><p>He came over from the Atlanta Falcons, and since joining the Cardinals has yet to suit up for a game after a pair of season-ending injuries. When he’s healthy he’s good, but the fact is he hasn’t been healthy since 2018, and even then he fought off an injury for most of his final year with the Falcons.</p><p>Alford made a huge name for himself with a pick-six against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in the infamous 28-3 comeback by Tom Brady, and he proved that he was worthy of a decent sized contract.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ROBERT ALFORD 82 YARD PICK 6! <a href="https://t.co/y89SB2alvs" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/y89SB2alvs</a></p><p>— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/828404303450738688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 6, 2017</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>However, Alford could never stay healthy for the Cardinals and he most likely won’t be in Arizona in September. Veteran Patrick Peterson is most likely headed out of Arizona as well, and the Cardinals will look to revamp their secondary with some young pieces to add to Budda Baker, who is one of the best safeties in all of football.</p><p>The defense was an issue for this team all season, and the secondary struggled to create turnovers. They finished 18th in the league in interceptions, but 4th in sacks, thanks in large part to Chandler Jones and Haason Reddick.</p><p>The offense is fine, DeAndre Hopkins, Murray, and Chase Edmonds, who is expected to be the lead guy unless they make an offer with a free agent running back, and that’s good enough to keep your team in the game most of the time.</p><p>The Cardinals finished two games ahead of the San Francisco 49ers and missed the playoffs by mere percentage points as the Chicago Bears snuck in with an identical 8-8 record, and after the start they had, they will look to improve and upgrade their roster however they can for 2021.</p><p>The NFC West got a whole lot tougher with Matthew Stafford going to the Los Angeles Rams, and rumors swirl regarding <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/49ers-news-steve-young-bares-ideal-trade-package-for-san-francisco-to-acquire-deshaun-watson/">Deshaun Watson and a possibility of him being the 49ers starter next year. </a></p><p>With that being said, the defense, especially the secondary, needs some upgrades, and Alford is the one who is most likely to be cut, or at the very least, restructured.</p><p>The Cardinals don’t have a ton of cap space to work with, and Alford might be one of many Cardinals players who hit the open market come March and the free agent frenzy. They need to make as much room as possible in an attempt to compete in the NFC West as they fight for a playoff spot and a championship with one of the best young quarterbacks in the game.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Arizona Cardinals: 1 player who could be a surprise roster cut in 2021 offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Cardinals-rumors-Patrick-Peterson-Arizona-parting-ways-this-offseason-Thumbnail.jpg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: Patrick Peterson, Cardinals parting ways this offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-08T10:30:19-08:00">February 8th, 10:30am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-08T10:30:19-08:00">February 8th, 10:30am</time><address><a>Immanuel Canicosa</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a decade with the franchise, cornerback Patrick Peterson and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nfl/arizona-cardinals">Arizona Cardinals</a> are expected to part ways this offseason, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/MattVerderame/status/1358795688398761985">Matt Verderame of FanSided</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Per source, the Arizona Cardinals and former All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson are parting ways barring a significant change in stances. </p><p>Peterson, 30, has enjoyed eight Pro Bowl and three First-Team All-Pro campaigns since being selected No. 5 overall in the 2011 Draft.</p><p>— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) <a href="https://twitter.com/MattVerderame/status/1358795688398761985?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 8, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Peterson, an eight-time Pro Bowler, will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and is expected to gain interest from multiple teams. The 30-year old is also a three-time First Team All-Pro selection, a member of the NFL’s 2010 All-Decade Team, and was known as one of the best at his position. However, he last made the Pro Bowl in 2018 and has been slowed down by injuries in recent years.</p><p>In the 2020 season, the fifth overall pick of the 2011 Draft had three interceptions, eight passes defended, and 61 tackles in 16 games for the Cardinals, which finished with an 8-8 record and narrowly missed the postseason.</p><p>Peterson has spent his entire pro career with Arizona, with his best season coming in 2012 as a second-year player. During that season, the former LSU player finished with seven interceptions, 16 passes defended, five fumble recoveries, and 55 tackles in 16 games played. During his time with the Cardinals, Peterson has tallied 28 interceptions, 499 tackles, 91 passes defended, and 12 fumble recoveries.</p><p>Even if he is not the same player as he was before, Peterson will still gain interest from multiple teams who are looking to improve their secondary. It is also possible that the former First Team All-American cornerback will join a contender to try to win a Super Bowl in the next chapter of his career, as it is one of the few things missing in his NFL resume.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: Patrick Peterson, Cardinals parting ways this offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Leonard-Fournette-Larry-Fitzgerald-Terrell-Davis-Buccaneers.jpg"></figure><h1>Leonard Fournette matches Larry Fitzgerald and Terrell Davis for NFL postseason record</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-02-07T19:45:02-08:00">February 7th, 7:45pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-02-07T19:45:02-08:00">February 7th, 7:45pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Super Bowl Champions, and Leonard Fournette <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1358598107907424256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1358598107907424256%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1000085action%3Dedit">joined elite company</a> after a huge performance on Sunday as the Bucs beat the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 at Raymond James Stadium.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Leonard Fournette joins 2008 Larry Fitzgerald and 1997 Terrell Davis as the only players to score a TD in 4 games within a single postseason. <a href="https://t.co/9twWxk2EiI" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/9twWxk2EiI</a></p><p>— ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1358598107907424256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">February 8, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Fournette was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/buccaneers-news-leonard-fournette-27-yard-td-breaks-open-super-bowl-55-vs-chiefs/">dominant in the playoffs</a> and earned the nickname “Playoff Lenny” with how he played down the stretch. He was released from the Jacksonville Jaguars before the season began and found a home in Tampa Bay, and the Buccaneers sure used him to their benefit.</p><p>He finished the game on Sunday with 16 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown, including a couple of huge runs down the stretch.</p><p>As for the Bucs, Tom Brady won his 7th Super Bowl Championship and first as a member of Tampa Bay in his first season with the team, as ex-Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski had two touchdowns in the first half.</p><p>After an up and down tenure in Jacksonville, and being heralded as one of the best running backs coming out of college, he is set to hit free agency and should have plenty of suitors, especially after the performance he had over the past coupe of weeks with everything on the line.</p><p>Where Playoff Lenny will be taking carries next season remains to be seen, but for now, he is a Super Bowl Champion and will have his name in the record books with a couple of legendary rushers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

ArizonaCardinals NEWS

Arizona
Cardinals NEWS