It was a big deal last offseason when the Arizona Cardinals signed defensive lineman J.J. Watt to a two-year deal. It was a sign that they were going for it and trying to get a championship now.
It didn’t happen last season, although they started hot, going 7-0 and 10-2 before faltering, finishing 11-6 and getting blown out in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
Watt came to Arizona with one thing on his mind — winning a title.
He has had individual accolades and, while with the Houston Texans, has been part of division-winning teams that lose in the postseason.
He appeared on The Dave Pasch Podcast this month and said that small potatoes are no longer for him.
“I’m done with any small goals,” he said on the show. “I’m done with any moral victories or anything like that. I’m here for one goal and one goal only and that’s to win a trophy. That’s what I’m working toward.”
Last year was a disappointment, both as a team and for him personally, as he lost half the season to a serious shoulder injury.
Looking ahead to 2022, the Cardinals mostly have brought back the players from last season to try and run it back.
Watt believes this team is built to compete but work has to be done.
“I think we have a good group who is capable of doing that and it’s just a matter of putting it all together and doing it consistently week after week and making sure we put in all the work,” he said.
OTAs have begun. They have two more weeks of that, then a week of minicamp before they get a break before training camp.
After that, the grind begins. Watt isn’t going to be satisfied with small victories.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
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