Somers: It's too bad Arizona Cardinals didn't give J.J. Watt more help

J.J. Watt dominates the J.J. Watt breaking news beat. He proved that again on Tuesday by announcing via social media his intention to retire at the end of this football season, his 12th in the NFL.

I can’t begrudge him that. We all should be able to tell our own stories. And besides, there’s plenty about J.J. Watt for the rest of us to dissect, such as his two seasons with the Cardinals.

On the surface, his impact in Arizona seems to be slight. Were the Cardinals better off for having him here? If so, you have to scrape away the topsoil and dig for the reasons.

That’s the organization’s fault, not Watt’s.

Read more: NFL world reacts to J.J. Watt's retirement announcement

The Cardinals went 11-6 and lost in the first round of the playoffs last season, Watt’s first with the team. He missed 10 games after suffering a serious shoulder injury that required surgery, then condensed a three-to-four-month rehabilitation period into two and played in the loss to the Rams in the playoffs.

Watt didn’t do much against the Rams. Neither did anyone else, but it was amazing he played at all.

This season, Watt’s second in Arizona, has been dismal enough that it should lead to major changes this off-season. The Cardinals are 4-11, and there’s been little to play for the last few weeks. But thanks to Watt and guys such as safety Budda Baker, the Cardinals have continued to play hard, just not well.

How much did Watt’s fanatical work to return from injury in 2021 mean to the franchise? And his leadership in 2022?

Measured in winning percentage, not much. It’s not as if the Cardinals were close to getting their ring fingers sized in either of Watt’s two seasons.

That was the hope on March 1, 2021, when Watt signed a two-year, $28 million contract that included $23 million in guarantees. For cap purposes, the Cardinals will still have $7.2 million of that to account for after this season.

It was a lot of money for a 32-year-old who had missed 31 of his previous 80 games due to injuries.

But the Cardinals saw Watt as someone who could wreck a game and change a culture. They knew Watt wasn’t the same player who won the NFL defensive player of the year award three times from 2012 through 2015. But 80 percent of that J.J. Watt would be better than 95 percent of the rest of the NFL.

When healthy, Watt did influence games for the Cardinals. He did it 2021 in the seven games he played, and he’s done it this season throughout all 15 games. In the last two weeks, he’s looked like J.J. Watt at 26, not 33.

He’s been equally as impressive off the field, in the locker and meeting rooms. As the losses mounted this season, Watt preached more fervently to his teammates the importance of giving a professional effort each and every practice, each and every week.

Brothers in arms: Veteran J.J. Watt showing the ropes to young Cardinals

Watt’s legacy in Arizona, if there is to be one, will be partly determined by how much young players heed his words. What lessons did fellow defensive lineman Zach Allen learn from Watt? Or defensive lineman Rashard Lawrence? Or cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr.?

Or, perhaps more importantly, team owner Michael Bidwill? A professional effort should not only be required of players, but also of those who sign their paychecks.

Bidwill and General Manager Steve Keim neglected to address basic needs last off-season, and emotional speeches by Watt and Baker were never going to compensate for that.

This season has worn on everyone invested in the Cardinals, from ownership to management to staff to players and to fans. Along the way, there were clues this could be Watt’s last season.

The Wednesday before the Cardinals played Carolina on Oct. 2, Watt’s heart went into atrial fibrillation and was shocked back into rhythm the next day. Watt played against the Panthers and was annoyed that news of his medical condition was about to leak. So he announced it via social media.

After the game, tears welling, Watt spoke of the impending birth of his first child, a boy, and about how an ultrasound of his son made his own ultrasound scarier than he could have previously imagined.

“I’ve learned to appreciate the little things even more,” Watt said at the time.

It’s not surprising that Watt is retiring, but the timing of it is. He announced it on Tuesday, the players’ day off, with two games left in the season.

But as a Cardinal, Watt’s placed importance on controlling the news he makes. He insisted the Cardinals and those close to him keep negotiations quiet prior to his signing in 2021. He was irritated the news of his heart condition had been leaked to national media, and maybe he was afraid his decision to retire soon would be someone else’s breaking news.

Watt doesn’t turn over the controls of his narrative to anyone else.

The timing of the announcement doesn’t really matter, at least not to the Cardinals. He likely will explain the whys at some point this week, and teammates and coaches are certain to laud his effort and his influence despite his short time in Arizona.

That influence, however, was diminished by the organization’s failure to build around Watt and Baker. How valuable is having a future Hall of Famer on the defensive line and a Pro Bowler at safety if you’re not going to adequately address needs at pass rusher and cornerback?

Watt gave it everything he had. If only the people employing him had, too.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Somers: Arizona Cardinals failed to give J.J. Watt adequate help