CLEVELAND — Editor's note: Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry's press conference in the video above is from Jan. 20, 2021.
Shortly after the Houston Texans released J.J. Watt on Friday, the Cleveland Browns were considered a long shot to sign the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
But as of Tuesday, the Browns are no longer just not a long shot, but are now the betting favorites to sign Watt, according to new odds released by Odds Shark.
Per BetOnline, via Odds Shark, Cleveland is a -150 favorite to sign Watt. For the betting uninitiated, that means a bettor would have to risk $150 to profit $100 on a successful wager.
BetOnline's full odds for Watt's next team are as follows:
- Browns -150
- Packers +500
- Steelers +550
- Bills +700
- Buccaneers +750
- Ravens +1000
- Colts/Cowboys +1400
- Patriots/Rams/49ers +1600
- Titans +1800
- Dolphins +2000
Last week, ESPN's Ed Werder reported that the Browns were among the teams to express immediate interest in Watt, who spent the first 10 years of his Hall of Fame career in Houston. With defensive end being perhaps the biggest need for Cleveland entering the offseason, the Browns would be hard-pressed to find a player at the position more qualified than the 31-year-old Watt, who ranked seventh among edge defenders in 2020 according to Pro Football Focus.
In addition to the Browns, Watt has also been consistently linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers, who his brothers, T.J. Watt and Derek Watt, currently play for. It's worth noting, however, that Cleveland currently possesses more cap space than most of the other contenders considered to be suitors for Watt -- including Pittsburgh -- which could prove advantageous should the money be a motivating factor in the Wisconsin product's free agency decision.