The Green Bay Packers are holding onto Christian Watson for a little longer, or so it seems. They signed him to a one-year, $13.25 million contract extension that will keep him tied to the organization through the 2026 season.
Watson was in the final year of his rookie contract, and given his availability issues, some wondered whether the Packers would keep their former second-round pick around for the long run. Then again, his contract extension doesn't necessarily change that, although it does gives GM Brian Gutekunst more options.
Christian Watson's Contract Extension Opens The Door For a Trade
The Packers have a plethora of young pass-catchers, and the fact they willingly gave Watson another year to prove his worth means that they still have faith in him. And with Matthew Golden by his side, they may have found their one-two punch for the foreseeable future.
That opens up the door for them to trade Romeo Doubs. Doubs has had some power struggles with the team in the past, and while he's flashed glimpses of strong play, he hasn't had the consistency one would want to see from him.
There's also Dontayvion Wicks, whose 20.9 percent drop rate was the absolute worst in the league last season. He's still got one year left in his rookie contract, and his big-play potential could make him an appealing trade candidate.
Last but not least, we find Jayden Reed, who missed time in the offseason with a foot injury but is reportedly expected to suit up for Week 2. He is one of Green Bay's more consistently solid contributors with 793- and 857-yard campaigns to his name in only two years, but that also gives him true value. If the Packers think he could fetch a solid pick and have the players to replace him, it makes sense for them to consider a move.
Brian Gutekunst and company aren't forced to deal any of their wideouts this year. That being said, every contender must make difficult choices to let some talent go in favor of healthier salary books. The importance of cap space is only magnified after the team handed Micah Parsons a record-breaking contract worth up to $188 million to seal his arrival.
Wide receivers are also known to bring about the most drama, as the Packers have already dealt with Doubs (and Watson's dad, who's very vocal on Twitter). Whenever the speedster returns, that's just one more mouth to feed, and one more legitimate threat who'll want the ball in his hands. That could leave at least one of these playmakers open to being moved as they look for a more clear-cut workload in a less-crowded room.
When Will Watson Return?
ACL injuries usually take around 10 months to heal, but those timelines are becoming shorter by the year. Also, Brian Gutekunst hinted at him being ahead of schedule midway through training camp:
"When you see him run, like, you want to throw him out there, right?" Gutekunst said in August. "But there's kind of a timeline with these ACLs, and we're certainly, he's ahead of the curve. There's no doubt about it, but at the same time he's got a long career in front of him, so we want to make sure we take the proper steps and we don't skip any steps along the way. After that fourth game I'm sure he's going to be chomping at the bit, and it's going take a lot of us to hold him back."
With him on the PUP list, he's not going to be eligible to suit up until Week 5 at the very earliest. He will then have a five-week window to return to practice. He suffered the injury in the regular-season finale on January 5, 2024, so the ten-month mark would put him around Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers or Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Watson has played in 38 games, logging 98 receptions for 1,653 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also has the third-highest yards-per-catch average in the league (16.9) during that span, so the upside is most definitely there. Whether the Packers will want to keep waiting for him and hoping for him to stay healthy, remains to be seen.