Last offseason, the Green Bay Packers gave Christian Watson a vote of confidence. Despite his season-ending ACL injury, the Packers signed him to a one-year contract extension, offering a chance to prove that Watson could be the team's WR1 once he got back to full strength.
Watson returned midway through the season, showing no setbacks and unmatched chemistry with quarterback Jordan Love. Now, for the second offseason in a row, the Packers are proving that they're fully committed to him.
According to CBS Sports insider Matt Zenitz, the Packers will hire Penn State’s Noah Pauley as the wide receivers coach. Why does that matter? Well, he was Watson's wide receivers coach at North Dakota State.
Packers Noah Pauley Hire Opens Door for Christian Watson Extension
Pauley's jump to the pros was a long time coming. He interviewed for the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator job last year, and he also helped turn Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel into NFL-caliber wideouts.
Watson's talent has always been undeniable. When healthy, he's a true WR1 and a perennial big-play threat, and his ability to line up all over the offense gives head coach Matt LaFleur's team a versatile weapon to scheme for.
Spotrac has Watson with a projected $15.6 million market value, most likely due to his never-ending injury woes. Still, the Packers would be wise to sign him before the start of the season to prevent that value from trending up.
The Packers are already spending a lot of money to keep Love and Micah Parsons in town, so they must do whatever it takes to cut costs while remaining competitive. Even if giving Watson a long-term deal comes with some risks, the timing is perfect.
The former second-round pick established himself as the undisputed No.1 wide receiver once Watson returned from injury. In 10 appearances (all starts), he hauled in 35 receptions on 55 targets for 611 yards and two touchdowns. That's nearly as many yards (620) and three times as many touchdowns as he had in the previous campaign, when he played 15 games.
First-round pick Matthew Golden is still quite raw, and there's a strong chance Romeo Doubs leaves in free agency, and Dontayvion Wicks gets traded. The table is set for Watson to post video game-like numbers in a less-stacked Packers wide receivers room next season, and reuniting him with his coach from college should only help him even more.