Christian Watson Signs Rookie Deal; Entire Packers Class Now Signed

With training camp set to begin next Wednesday, and the Green Bay Packers rookies set to report this Friday, second-round pick Christian Watson has officially signed his rookie four-year rookie deal.

Watson was the last of the Packers’ 2022 draft picks to sign, and by a fairly decent margin. However, that isn’t unusual for second-round picks. In fact, there are still several around the NFL who remain unsigned.

The reason why second-round picks, in particular, take a little extra time to get a deal done is that the two sides are negotiating how much of the contract will be guaranteed. Every year that goes by, larger portions of those contracts become guaranteed.

As Ken Ingalls had pointed out earlier this offseason, in 2021, the 34th overall selection — which is where Watson was taken this year — had 78.8% of their contract guaranteed. Prior to Watson signing his deal, the 37th pick in this year’s draft had nearly 10% more of his contract guaranteed compared to the 37th pick in the 2021 draft. Watson was, in all likelihood, looking for more security as well.

At this time, we do not know the specifics of Watson’s contract or how much has been guaranteed by the Packers.

How big of a role Watson takes on right away remains to be seen, but initially, he can provide this offense with a needed vertical threat with his speed. Without Marquez Valdes-Scantling, this element is missing in this offense, and in addition to the shot play opportunities this skill-set provides, it also opens up the passing game for the other pass-catchers underneath and with the attention that it can draw from the safeties.

Watson could also find a role as the motion man and someone with specific plays drawn up for him with the intention of getting him the ball quickly and in space so that speed of his can take over. He could also be an option at kick returner, where he was an All-American at North Dakota State.

Hopefully, as Watson develops and builds that rapport with Aaron Rodgers, he can become a reliable option in those higher leverage situations, such as on third downs and in the red zone, although that may not be right away.

As Rodgers said earlier this offseason, there is a lot of potential at receiver but not much production–meaning that he will likely rely somewhat heavily on the veterans in that receiver room — Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, and Sammy Watkins — or at least do so initially.

The next step for Watson — along with the other rookie receiver — is to continue familiarizing himself with the playbook and developing that trust with Rodgers.

As Rodgers told reporters during minicamp, there are two versions of the playbook, what’s on paper and what takes place on the field–and we all know how important it is for receivers in this offense to be ready for any last-second adjustments that might take place.