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Christian Watson appreciated the faith the Green Bay Packers showed in him even when he believed he didn’t necessarily deserve it.
Now that they’ve given him a contract extension, Watson wants to repay them by staying healthy and producing the best season of his career.
“I try not to look at the numbers too much,” Watson said Tuesday while speaking to reporters for the first time since signing his four-year extension last week. “I take it week by week. But if I’m really looking and I want to set personal goals, I definitely want to have double-digit touchdowns and I want to have over 1,100 yards.”
Watson, 27, has never had more than 41 receptions or 620 receiving yards in any of his four seasons, but last year he showed that he is capable of doing much more if he can avoid injuries.
After tearing his right ACL in Green Bay’s 2024 regular-season finale, Watson missed the Packers’ first six games last year but returned to catch 35 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games.
He now has a $31 million signing bonus as part of a four-year extension worth up to $110.5 million when incentives are included, although the base value of the contract is approximately $92 million.
“I was given countless opportunities when it seemed like I shouldn’t have had them anymore,” Watson said. “I don’t want to say I’m going to pay them for that or anything; I think we both win from the deal, and I still have a chance to make those dollars, guaranteed or not. I feel like I’m in a good situation.”
In fact, Watson has been through a lot of ups and downs since the Packers selected him out of North Dakota State in the second round of the 2022 draft.
He opened his career by going wide, but dropping a potential Aaron Rodgers touchdown catch. Watson rebounded to score eight touchdowns in a four-game stretch later in his rookie season, but missed eight games due to hamstring injuries in 2023. Injuries have limited him to a total of 48 games in his first four seasons.
However, he never doubted the possibility of getting this type of long-term contract.
“Obviously there were always downtimes at that time,” Watson said. “You drop a pass or something, or you have a hamstring or something. At that moment, I definitely felt a little sorry for myself. But I feel like I always did a really good job of recovering. I had really good, great people around me that helped me recover. I never think I stayed down too long. I think the positive mindset was always there.”
Watson’s extension drew rave reviews from his teammates.
“It’s a testament to the work he puts in, the type of player he is, who he is in this locker room,” quarterback Jordan Love said.
Watson has earned the respect of his teammates and coaches for the way he overcame all of these challenges, particularly in the work he put in to return to full fitness so soon after tearing his ACL.
“He embodies what we want to be,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think he’s a team-first type of guy. I’ve never heard him complain about not getting the ball over the course of four years. He does all the little things the right way.”
Watson’s extension comes during an offseason in which the Packers clarified the pecking order of their receiving room.
Now that Romeo Doubs has signed with New England and Dontayvion Wicks has been traded to Philadelphia, the Packers begin the season with Watson, Jayden Reed and 2025 first-round draft pick Matthew Golden as their top three receivers. Reed agreed to a three-year, $50.25 million extension in April.
“Just having the foundation of our offense secured for the next few years I think will be huge for us in terms of finding consistency in our offense,” Watson said. “And just having those guys available long-term I think will definitely be important for us in the flow of our offense.”
Watson intends to be an important part of that foundation for years to come.
“To be honest, I’ll be grateful every day to be able to go out on that field,” Watson said. “Of course, I’m going to go out every day with the mentality of continuing to win that contract every day.”
Associated Press information.
