© Trevor Ruszkowski | 2020 Dec 20
As if there wasn’t enough incentive to bring back Trent Williams.
Even if the 49ers do re-sign Williams as expected, he’ll have his hands full vs. the Cardinals next season, who will now pair pass rusher Chandler Jones with three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt. Watt announced his new home in a Twitter post. The deal is reportedly worth $31 million over the next two years.
source: me. pic.twitter.com/1Y6okQBUy5
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) March 1, 2021
Watt will turn 32 this offseason, but is coming off a year which he had five sacks, 17 QB hits, 14 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in 16 games. Jones, missed most of 2020, but had 19 sacks in 2019.
The NFC West was probably the best division in football heading into this offseason, with all four teams talented enough to make the playoffs if healthy. Now both the Cardinals and Rams have improved, with the latter swapping Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford, a win-now move that saw them leap frog the 49ers in most Super Bowl projections.
The 49ers blueprint to a Super Bowl berth in 2019 was a dominant defensive line. If Watt still has something left in the tank, he and Jones would make for one of the more formidable duos that will pair with an offense that features top-end talent.