- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,257,514
- Reaction score
- 59
GREEN BAY – When he was rehabbing from his torn ACL last summer, staring into an uncertain future, Christian Watson envisioned this.
All that grueling work had to pay off in the end. Because if anyone was due for some good fortune, it was the Green Bay Packers receiver who always flashed potential, if only he could stay on the field. Two years ago, Watson visited Badger Medical Performance in Madison to better understand his body. He played 15 games in 2024, only to tear his ACL late in the season.
The injury every NFL player hopes to avoid put Watson in a dark place one year ago. He was entering his fourth season in 2025, a game-breaking talent who couldn’t play enough games, knowing the career he wanted was on the line. The Packers were so aware of the surrounding instability they offered a one-year extension just to ease that pressure.
When Watson returned midway through last fall to not only the same level he was before reconstructive knee surgery, but perhaps even better, it was something of his last hurdle to clear. For 10 games, he established himself as the go-to playmaker in the Packers' offense, his 611 yards only 9 shy of a career high. It was only a matter of time he’d find himself making a call first to his wife, then his mother, tears flowing after signing his four-year, $92 million extension last week.
“It is definitely exactly where I imagined I’d be,” Watson said, “but it doesn’t make it any [less] surreal when it does happen. I was definitely looking forward to this moment. It was definitely where I pictured myself. For it to come to fruition, it’s crazy.”
Now with security for the first time in his career, Watson isn’t shy about what he expects next. His first goal, of course, is to stay healthy. In four seasons, he’s never played more than 15 games. He wants that to change in 2026.
If it does, everyone understands what that would do for not just his own production, but the ceiling for this Packers offense. Watson shared two goals he hopes a 17-game season could yield: at least 10 touchdowns and 1,100 yards. There are players with false confidence who shoot for the moon and receive only eye rolls. Nobody is doing that with Watson’s goals.
“The sky’s the limit for him,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think he put in the work. There’s no substitute for getting around that. You have to do that. Certainly, he is a genetic freak, there’s no doubt about that. So I think for some of those guys it can be a little bit easier coming back from that.”
Watson’s extension was always going to be a challenging target. Two things can be true at once. He has not been on the field enough to establish himself as a legitimate No. 1 receiver, but he has shown that potential. The Packers had to weigh those two factors when evaluating his market, which ultimately made him the league’s 19th-highest-paid player at his position with a $23 million annual salary.
The Packers included a $13 million roster bonus after 2027, which the team will pay if he builds off his return last season the way they expect. Watson will turn 29 years old before the 2028 season, young enough to still have good years left on the contract. The only guaranteed money is Watson’s $31 million signing bonus, meaning the team could move on if he doesn’t stay on the field more.
Retaining Watson long term was a priority because of what he’s meant to the Packers offense when healthy. Shortly after returning from the ACL, Watson had the game-winning touchdown last November at the New York Giants. His 51-yard touchdown flipped momentum in the second half of a win in Detroit. Watson caught a pair of scores when the Packers beat the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field, including a 41-yard slant when he pulled away from the defense on third-and-3.
An extension ultimately is paid on projection of future production, not past performance. The Packers saw enough last season to expect Watson will be a major piece for years to come.
“The consistency in which he shows up,” LaFleur said of Watson’s presence in the offense. “I think we saw it last year, of just the impact he has on the game. Even when he’s not getting the ball, but certainly when he’s targeted. I mean, there were so many big plays, I was watching a bunch of them today as a matter of fact. He had some huge catches in that Giants game a year ago, obviously Detroit, but I think when we’ve gone to him the consistency in which he makes those plays has gotten better over time.”
The Packers' offense is cleared more now than ever for Watson to emerge as its top target. After Romeo Doubs signed with New England in free agency and Dontayvion Wicks was traded to Philadelphia, there will be a redistribution of targets. Watson said he doesn’t need a set number of targets each week to be at his best, rather how frequently he’s a primary option in quarterback Jordan Love’s progressions.
In this offense, Watson should be a top option on most plays.
“I don’t think it’s a specific number, to be honest,” Watson said. “I feel like it’s just knowing we’re leaning on each and every guy in all the different scenarios. Whether it’s third down, knowing I’m a viable throw on this play. I feel like that’s kind of what keeps you in it. If you know I’ve got a clear-out route on this play, and then the next third down I’ve got another clear-out route, I feel like that’s when it kind of gets into that flow. So really it just comes down to knowing you’re an option on that play, I feel like more so than targets.”
After a winding start to his career, Watson enters 2026 in the best place he’s ever been. The Packers are expecting it will yield a breakout season, barricaded against the possibility it will not. The receiver drafted immediately after Davante Adams was traded in 2022 is now the unquestioned leader at his position.
Watson never questioned he’d reach this point, but there’s no mistaking his satisfaction with coming this far.
“There were always the down times,” Watson said, “right in that moment you’d drop a pass or something, or you’d have a hamstring or something. In that moment, I was definitely feeling sorry for myself a little bit, but I feel like I always did a really good job of bouncing back. I had really great people around me who helped me bounce back. So I never think I stayed down too long.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Packers, Christian Watson believe 'sky's the limit' after extension
Continue reading...
All that grueling work had to pay off in the end. Because if anyone was due for some good fortune, it was the Green Bay Packers receiver who always flashed potential, if only he could stay on the field. Two years ago, Watson visited Badger Medical Performance in Madison to better understand his body. He played 15 games in 2024, only to tear his ACL late in the season.
The injury every NFL player hopes to avoid put Watson in a dark place one year ago. He was entering his fourth season in 2025, a game-breaking talent who couldn’t play enough games, knowing the career he wanted was on the line. The Packers were so aware of the surrounding instability they offered a one-year extension just to ease that pressure.
When Watson returned midway through last fall to not only the same level he was before reconstructive knee surgery, but perhaps even better, it was something of his last hurdle to clear. For 10 games, he established himself as the go-to playmaker in the Packers' offense, his 611 yards only 9 shy of a career high. It was only a matter of time he’d find himself making a call first to his wife, then his mother, tears flowing after signing his four-year, $92 million extension last week.
“It is definitely exactly where I imagined I’d be,” Watson said, “but it doesn’t make it any [less] surreal when it does happen. I was definitely looking forward to this moment. It was definitely where I pictured myself. For it to come to fruition, it’s crazy.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Now with security for the first time in his career, Watson isn’t shy about what he expects next. His first goal, of course, is to stay healthy. In four seasons, he’s never played more than 15 games. He wants that to change in 2026.
If it does, everyone understands what that would do for not just his own production, but the ceiling for this Packers offense. Watson shared two goals he hopes a 17-game season could yield: at least 10 touchdowns and 1,100 yards. There are players with false confidence who shoot for the moon and receive only eye rolls. Nobody is doing that with Watson’s goals.
“The sky’s the limit for him,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think he put in the work. There’s no substitute for getting around that. You have to do that. Certainly, he is a genetic freak, there’s no doubt about that. So I think for some of those guys it can be a little bit easier coming back from that.”
Watson’s extension was always going to be a challenging target. Two things can be true at once. He has not been on the field enough to establish himself as a legitimate No. 1 receiver, but he has shown that potential. The Packers had to weigh those two factors when evaluating his market, which ultimately made him the league’s 19th-highest-paid player at his position with a $23 million annual salary.
The Packers included a $13 million roster bonus after 2027, which the team will pay if he builds off his return last season the way they expect. Watson will turn 29 years old before the 2028 season, young enough to still have good years left on the contract. The only guaranteed money is Watson’s $31 million signing bonus, meaning the team could move on if he doesn’t stay on the field more.
Retaining Watson long term was a priority because of what he’s meant to the Packers offense when healthy. Shortly after returning from the ACL, Watson had the game-winning touchdown last November at the New York Giants. His 51-yard touchdown flipped momentum in the second half of a win in Detroit. Watson caught a pair of scores when the Packers beat the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field, including a 41-yard slant when he pulled away from the defense on third-and-3.
An extension ultimately is paid on projection of future production, not past performance. The Packers saw enough last season to expect Watson will be a major piece for years to come.
“The consistency in which he shows up,” LaFleur said of Watson’s presence in the offense. “I think we saw it last year, of just the impact he has on the game. Even when he’s not getting the ball, but certainly when he’s targeted. I mean, there were so many big plays, I was watching a bunch of them today as a matter of fact. He had some huge catches in that Giants game a year ago, obviously Detroit, but I think when we’ve gone to him the consistency in which he makes those plays has gotten better over time.”
The Packers' offense is cleared more now than ever for Watson to emerge as its top target. After Romeo Doubs signed with New England in free agency and Dontayvion Wicks was traded to Philadelphia, there will be a redistribution of targets. Watson said he doesn’t need a set number of targets each week to be at his best, rather how frequently he’s a primary option in quarterback Jordan Love’s progressions.
In this offense, Watson should be a top option on most plays.
“I don’t think it’s a specific number, to be honest,” Watson said. “I feel like it’s just knowing we’re leaning on each and every guy in all the different scenarios. Whether it’s third down, knowing I’m a viable throw on this play. I feel like that’s kind of what keeps you in it. If you know I’ve got a clear-out route on this play, and then the next third down I’ve got another clear-out route, I feel like that’s when it kind of gets into that flow. So really it just comes down to knowing you’re an option on that play, I feel like more so than targets.”
After a winding start to his career, Watson enters 2026 in the best place he’s ever been. The Packers are expecting it will yield a breakout season, barricaded against the possibility it will not. The receiver drafted immediately after Davante Adams was traded in 2022 is now the unquestioned leader at his position.
Watson never questioned he’d reach this point, but there’s no mistaking his satisfaction with coming this far.
“There were always the down times,” Watson said, “right in that moment you’d drop a pass or something, or you’d have a hamstring or something. In that moment, I was definitely feeling sorry for myself a little bit, but I feel like I always did a really good job of bouncing back. I had really great people around me who helped me bounce back. So I never think I stayed down too long.”
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Packers, Christian Watson believe 'sky's the limit' after extension
Continue reading...
