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Wednesday 9 September 2020 14:21, UK
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt says the NFL is in good hands with young, superstar quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes - who go head-to-head in Thursday's season opener - set to dominate for the next decade.
Watson and Mahomes are just 24 years old - both celebrating birthdays this week, born only three days apart - and the latter already has one Super Bowl ring to his name, leading the Chiefs to victory in Miami in February.
The pair are also now the highest paid players in the league, having both put pen to paper on new deals during the offseason.
"We're going to have to steal their thunder, because we sure as hell can't take their money - they've got a whole lot of that between the two of them," Watt told reporters ahead of Thursday's clash.
"We're looking forward to it; the NFL is in good hands with guys like Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes being in this league for a long time to come.
"I'm very fortunate to be on the field with Deshaun and have him be the leader of our team and have him throwing the ball for us and giving us a chance to win every game.
"And I'm looking forward to going up against Mahomes again. He's obviously an incredible player, competitor, a great talent and it's always fun when you have a chance to go up against those type of guys, because you want to compare yourself against the best.
"There's no way to do that any better than playing your first game against the team whose last game was the one where they ended up holding the trophy."
The Texans memorably imploded in last year's divisional round of the playoffs, blowing a 24-0 second-quarter lead against the Chiefs as they ultimately crumbled to a 51-31 defeat.
Houston did, however, win 31-24 in Kansas City in the regular season, but quarterback Watson says neither result will count for much this time round.
"We've got the opportunity to go into the defending Super Bowl champs' home stadium right off the bat and compete with a great team, that's what we want," said Watson.
"It's definitely an opportunity for both teams, both quarterbacks, to show what they've been working on this offseason. I wouldn't say that me and Pat are competing against each other, as far as having more yards or more touchdowns; we're just trying to be the best quarterbacks for our team.
"It [the playoff defeat to the Chiefs] has definitely been on my mind this offseason, because we wen't that far and they were the team to Super Bowl. If we would have won that game, that could have been us. At the same time, we also remember the October game, when we went there and won at Arrowhead.
"It's a whole new season, it's a whole new opportunity. We've got to go out there and take it one play at a time, play as a team and see what the outcome is."
Watson put pen to paper on a new, four-year deal worth $160m earlier this week - the second biggest in NFL history, behind only Mahomes.
"It has been a whirlwind; I knew it was going to happen, I just didn't know when, Watson told NFL Total Access. "It was definitely a goal; it's something I wanted for my family and myself.
"But the biggest thing is an organisation really trusting in me and giving me the keys to the franchise, to be able to achieve what we want to achieve - especially here, where it has never been done before.
"All my emotions, me reminiscing about where I've come from, the people that have been a part of my journey, it just finally came out."
Former Texan team-mate and current Arizona Cardinals receiver DeAndre Hopkins is now the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, signing a two-year contract extension worth a reported $54.5m.
Hopkins, who negotiated the deal himself, is said to receive $42.75m guaranteed and an average of $27.25m per season in 2023 and 2024.
Hopkins told reporters: "The Cardinals, I can't thank them enough for coming and getting me from my previous team and showing me that my work is deserving.
"I'm looking forward to playing some of my best football with this team and the goal is to be what everyone should be wanting, and that's to win a championship. That's the only thing on my mind."
Sky and the NFL have agreed a new five-year partnership to broadcast the NFL, the first time the league has joined with an international broadcaster to launch a channel dedicated to the sport.
The agreement marks the 25th anniversary of live NFL coverage on Sky Sports with 'Sky Sports NFL' launched on Thursday, September 3 ahead of the 2020 season, which kicks off on Thursday, September 10.
The brand new in-season channel will be the round-the-clock home of the NFL on television in the UK and Republic of Ireland from the regular season through to the playoffs, with Super Bowl LV live from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Sunday, February 7.
Sky Sports NFL is your dedicated home of the NFL and will feature a minimum of five live games each week, including first-pick exclusive games in the 6pm and 9pm slot every Sunday alongside NFL Redzone and every Thursday Night, Sunday Night, and Monday Night Football.
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