Chicago Bears: Pros and cons of signing J.J. Watt

The Chicago Bears continuously find themselves struggling to be better than mediocre. Sure, the team has had a few outliers of success, but Bears fans are tired of mediocrity. It is not like the team is short of talent — especially on the defensive side of the ball. Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks Eddie Jackson and Roquan Smith are proven All-Stars. The defense has some serious depth too with players like Danny Trevathan, Kyle Fuller, Bilal Nichols and the new addition Jaylon Johnson.

The problem has always been and continues to be that the offensive side of the ball, even with talent like Allen Robinson and David Montgomery, has not been able to match the performance consistent with the defense.

Instead of seeing drastic changes this offseason, ownership has doubled-down with Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace. The one difference here is that the team and Mitch Trubisky are parting ways. This has left many wondering what exactly will happen on the offensive side of the ball — most specifically at quarterback.

Every possible quarterback, Deshaun Watson, Carson Wentz, Derek Carr, Sam Darnold and more, who might have the slightest possibility of being available via trade have been linked to the Chicago Bears.

Clearly, the offense needs to be the focus once again this offseason, but Ryan Pace and company cannot just ignore the defensive side of the ball. This brings us to the point of this article. In a video message yesterday, J.J. Watt announced that he will be moving on from the Houston Texans. Watt was under contract and due to receive $17.5 million dollars in 2021. However, he did not have a dead cap hit and the team tried to do right by him as he asked to be released.

Now, J.J. Watt has the ability to move onto any team he desires this offseason. Will he go home to Wisconsin? Will he move further east to play with his brothers in Pittsburgh? Or, could he decide to play in the same city as his wife, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars? Currently, one oddsmaker has the Bears with the fourth-best odds of landing Watt this offseason. However, is signing J.J. Watt to a contract in Chicago a good or bad idea? We weigh the pros and cons.