The Green Bay Packers' wide receiver room will look different in 2026. They moved on from Dontayvion Wicks and let Romeo Doubs walk away in free agency, leaving few doubts about the new pecking order.
The Packers signed Christian Watson to a four-year, $92 million contract extension, making sure to keep their WR1 locked and loaded for years to come. Unsurprisingly, takes and reactions flooded social media right away.
While signing Watson came with plenty of risks, it looks like people are missing the bigger picture. That includes Bleacher Report's Moe Moton, who just named him the most overpaid wide receiver in the game.
The Pacers didn't overpay for Christian Watson
"Although the Packers won't take a steep cap hit with Watson's new contract until 2028, he's owed the third-most cash among wide receivers this year behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Drake London," wrote Moton.
At first glance, even the most optimistic and diehard Packers fan would agree that Watson hasn't earned the right to be the third-highest-paid wide receiver in the league next season. He may not even play the full season.
That said, the devil is in the details. Yes, the Packers gave him a fat check, but his contract includes only $31 million guaranteed. That's actually 26th among wide receivers, according to Packers beat writer Eli Berkovits.
The Packers structured the deal so they can move on from him if it doesn't work out. He has shown the ability to be a primary pass catcher when healthy, which admittedly hasn't always been the case, but this was a worthy gamble nonetheless.
This team also has a ton of faith in Matthew Golden, who should take a big leap in his second year in the league after a somewhat disappointing rookie season. So, they have a plan B, even if Watson can't play a full season.
For years, the Packers have been extremely high on their former second-round pick, and for great reasons. They had already given him a short-term contract extension to keep him in town and give him a chance to earn a bigger payday, which he did.
Availability is the best ability, and Watson will now be judged very differently with this steep pay raise. That said, he can't be overpaid when he hasn't even gotten paid yet. If things don't work out or he's not available, he won't see the end of that contract, and the Packers can simply move on with someone else.
But if he turns out to be as good as he's shown he can, he will actually give this team much better value than anticipated. The ball's in his court, and it'll be up to him to silence the critics after his big payday.
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