Cory's Corner: Can't Win Rings By Playing It Safe
Questions abound about extending Christian Watson. But when you look at the financial landscape of wideouts, the Packers did the right thing.
The Green Bay Packers are officially resetting the market on “projection over durability” with their stunning new commitment to wide receiver Christian Watson. General manager Brian Gutekunst completely polarized the football world by signing the lightning-fast pass-catcher to a massive four-year, $110.5 million contract extension. Predictably, social media erupted with fierce criticism, with fans and analysts alike calling it a reckless overpay for an unproven commodity. On the surface, the skeptics have a valid point. Paying elite, premium money to a player who has spent a massive chunk of his career in the training room feels like a monumental gamble.
The primary argument against the contract is rooted in basic math and availability. Across his four years in the league, Watson has been plagued by a staggering total of nine distinct injuries, ranging from knee issues and shoulder sprains to persistent soft-tissue setbacks. He has never managed to play more than 15 games in a single season. In fact, due to his extensive medical history, Watson has averaged a meager 11.5 games played per season. For most franchises, committing over $27 million annually to a player who misses roughly a third of every season is an immediate non-starter.
Furthermore, the nature of his injuries magnifies the risk. Watson’s career has been constantly derailed by chronic hamstring issues, which are far more alarming than the general public realizes. While fans often view a hamstring strain as a minor, temporary nuisance, sports medicine tells a much darker story for vertical field-stretchers. Hamstring injuries heavily alter a receiver’s explosive mechanics and carry an incredibly high recurrence rate. For a player whose entire dominance relies on sudden, violent acceleration and a lethal top-end gear, even a minor micro-tear can permanently rob him of the elite speed that makes him special. Every time Watson accelerates down the seam, the Packers will be holding their breath.
Yet, despite the terrifying medical chart, Gutekunst’s financial gamble is a brilliant execution of modern asset management: in today’s NFL, you don’t pay for past durability; you pay for the ceiling. When Watson is on the field, he is an absolute cheat code, who completely transforms head coach Matt LaFleur’s playbook. Boasting a career average of 17 yards per catch, his rare blend of size and sub-4.4 speed dictates safety coverages and opens up underneath passing lanes for Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden. He is the engine that unlocks Jordan Love’s MVP-caliber potential. Without Watson demanding deep attention, the Packers’ offense becomes noticeably more stagnant and condensed.
“There’s very few that are as big and strong and fast as Christian Watson, and then you combine the fact he’s got a brilliant mind,” said LaFleur last season. “The things he can do in game, I don’t think anyone can truly appreciate.”
By locking Watson in now, the front office is betting on prevention. If Watson puts together a fully healthy, 17-game All-Pro campaign this upcoming season, his price tag would have easily skyrocketed past $32 million per year in an exploding wide receiver market. Gutekunst recognized the leverage window and struck early. The Packers are willingly embracing the volatility of Watson's health because they understand a harsh truth about chasing a Lombardi Trophy: you cannot win championships by playing it safe.
2026 Top 20 Highest Paid Wideouts By Average Annual Value
|
Seattle Seahawks |
$42.15M |
|
Cincinnati Bengals |
$40.25M |
|
Atlanta Falcons |
$35.25M |
|
Minnesota Vikings |
$35.00M |
|
Dallas Cowboys |
$34.00M |
|
Pittsburgh Steelers |
$33.00M |
|
New York Jets |
$32.50M |
|
Washington Commanders |
$32.33M |
|
New England Patriots |
$32.00M |
|
Detroit Lions |
$30.00M |
|
San Francisco 49ers |
$30.00M |
|
Cincinnati Bengals |
$28.75M |
|
Indianapolis Colts |
$28.50M |
|
Denver Broncos |
$28.25M |
|
Green Bay Packers |
$27.63M |
|
Buffalo Bills |
$27.50M |
|
Dallas Cowboys |
$27.30M |
|
Detroit Lions |
$26.67M |
|
Philadelphia Eagles |
$25.00M |
|
Houston Texans |
$24.25M |
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (19)
T7Steve
June 06, 2026 at 07:32 am
Hope the best for the guy and, of course, the Packers.
I lean towards giving the benefit of doubt that they really know what they're doing.
The team is totally different when he's on the field .
Lombardi Trophy
June 06, 2026 at 09:47 am
The Packers medical staff is notoriously conservative, and GB wouldn't have re-signed #9 if they didn't think his hamstring issues were behind him.
Aside from availability (so far), Watson reminds me of Jordy in so many ways. Long-striding deep speed, size, smart, and a team first guy. Watson's hands have improved each year, and the same with body control, and sideline awareness.
With health and targets the sky is the limit.
Starrbrite
June 07, 2026 at 12:07 am
I like your comparison, although I have always compared Watson to Javon Walker. Some compare him to Lofton, but he’s not nearly as smooth imo.
stockholder
June 06, 2026 at 07:40 am
We saw the difference when he was out.
Market volatility showed the price.
Signing bonuses and guarantees
Maintain competitiveness.
Payment always depends on the goal.
The Roster turnover has been obvious.
Navigating losses always determines
A teams success.
Watson is explosive.
MLF isn’t the only one depending on him.
golfpacker61
June 06, 2026 at 08:42 am
“There’s very few that are as big and strong and fast as Christian Watson."
Looking at this and other pictures of Watson, I would never describe him as big and strong, he has always seemed like a tall, skinny, fast WR. But if you put 2 pictures of Watson and Williams side by side, Williams seems more like the guy that could really stand to gain 15 Lbs. Both of them could use a few pounds.
The contract is what it is. It seems like and is a lot of money, but in reality, depending on how much guaranteed money is in any contract, most contracts are really only 1/2 of what they announce. Watson's new contract has around $30 million guaranteed so in reality it is a 2 year extention. Since this is essentially a 5 year contract now adding the 4 years to 2026, the team can get out of it after 3 years. Teams don't look at dead cap as a death sentence anymore, it's just a cost of doing business. Plus the fact that if GB had waited until later in the year, the cost could go up $3-5 million per year. You would think Jones and the Cowboys would understand how that works by now. This contract also affects the Cowboys and Pickens going forward & makes him even more expensive.
GB has a gang of these type WRs now, tall and fast and thank God the whole group seem to have decent hands finally. Good hands alone could get Love another 30-40 more completions this year, and more importantly, keep the offense on the field more.
One more extension to get done, Kraft. That will close the circle of having our top ball catchers locked up for the next 3 years.
Now lets address the other elephant in the room and fill the still big need of Edge rusher. If Sweat isn't the deal we want, and it shouldn't be if the deal isn't really good for us, then move on to the other cheap, veteran, 1 year bridge options before they are gone. I have said it before just sign Clowney and get it done. After spending $188 million on Parsons, $125 million on Watson, $50 million on Reed, the $60 million we will spend on Kraft, surely spending the "Pittance" of $5 million on Clowney for the insurance it brings until Parsons is 100% is a drop in the bucket for guaranteed production, which our young guys haven't done.
Let's start taking up a collection to buy Clowney.
Starrbrite
June 07, 2026 at 12:10 am
Golf, I just checked my 401k—I can help…a little.
Coldworld
June 06, 2026 at 08:45 am
The old adage is that a good contract matches the future not the past. In this case, the talent is there. Watson isn’t just a big man and fast, he’s got the rare attributes for a man his size: fast feet and burst. The question is can he hold up physically? When you have that talent and a good attitude then that’s a rare package indeed. It’s not one to let slip.
As to health, well we should all know that it is ephemeral in football even for those who have been blessed with it from the outset. Bahk, Collins … one hit or one twist can end things. It’s a gamble but one we are right to take. Now we need to do the same with Kraft and get on and play some actual football knowing that, in both of those players we have individuals who can change games and legitimately daunt opponents.
dobber
June 06, 2026 at 09:26 am
"Bahk, Collins … one hit or one twist can end things. It’s a gamble but one we are right to take."
That's about the sum of it. Every contract is a calculated risk. In this case, the reward is pretty significant. The latest iteration of Fubared wanted to equate this to David Bakhtiari and posted this yesterday:
"Just like paying Baktari big huge money when his career was over and he had nothing left to give since both his knees were trash."
...which is wholly wrong. Yes, Bakh had just turned 29 when he signed his new deal (and the Packers were forced into a corner due to their lack of prospects at LT), but he fell almost into the category of ironman, missing 6 games in his career up 'til his knee blowing out and was coming off a couple consecutive All-Pro seasons. He was selected All-Pro during that injury season, so he was playing at a high level. Bakh never recovered, of course, but Watson made a super fast recovery from his injury and played at a high level last season.
The Packers' offense depends on downfield shots. Watson's downfield presence opens up this offense. Hoping that someone like Golden, Savion, or (ullp) Melton has developed to the point where they can give this to the downfield, jumpball ability Watson does (Golden and Melton are not likely to become contested catch mavens) is a gamble they decided not to take.
Starrbrite
June 07, 2026 at 12:15 am
Spot on Dobby!
GreenandBold
June 06, 2026 at 08:55 am
As sure as it will snow in Green Bay this upcoming winter Watson will miss games this upcoming season . Gute probably knows that too but he has determined that Watson is still worth the extension . I’m not saying it’s good or bad but Gute believes it so it shall be done . All we can do is sit back and watch .
golfpacker61
June 06, 2026 at 10:17 am
Yeah Green, but even though the backups are green, no pun intended, I feel better about the group behind our starters. Especially in Watsons case, we have about 4 guys that mimic his size and are almost as fast. And also overlooked is that those reserves all have the same attribute, great hands. Even though they lack game experience, the fact that they are good blockers and have great hands, just figuring out how GB wants their routes run is all that's left.
GB also has 3 solid backups for Reed if he misses time. Melton & Moore fit that position neatly and might be faster than Reed. Golden could also fit here.
I would feel so much better if we had a solid, experienced Y TE on the roster. That would be a headache eliminator. Edge & RB are the other biggest needs. OL might be better depth wise than we thought.
Savage57
June 06, 2026 at 09:04 am
Watson's deal is a skosh high given his availability history, but his contract shows how well players, agents, the NFLPA, and the owners themselves have transferred risk from the player to the team.
dobber
June 06, 2026 at 09:29 am
"Watson's deal is a skosh high given his availability history"
His ability to recover from his ACL quickly, and stay on the field playing almost a full allotment of snaps afterward is a positive.
The Packers are banking on Watson's hammy issues as being mostly behind him. WRs get hurt and are prone to soft-tissue injuries--it's just in the nature of how they move on the field. I think we as fans are always going to be hyper sensitive to Watson and his hammies, but if his track record on his legs in the future regresses to the mean on injury, the Packers have done fine on that front.
Savage57
June 06, 2026 at 09:51 am
The comparative sample sizes are unequal, thus any predictions are predicated more upon optimism than empirical evidence.
The premise I submitted is ipso facto.
golfpacker61
June 06, 2026 at 10:19 am
Did GB have many hamstring issues last year dobber? I don't remember that being an issue. It seemed like the injuries were more serious for the most part. Hopefully that isn't as much of a problem in 2026.
Spock
June 06, 2026 at 09:36 am
"...Gutekunst completely polarized the football world by signing..." "...stunning new commitment to wide receiver Christian Watson..."
What a load of BS. I think most fans thought his new contract was lower than expected and hardly "Stunning" or "Polarizing" . Holy Hyperbole, Batman!
Starrbrite
June 07, 2026 at 12:16 am
Agree
golfpacker61
June 06, 2026 at 10:23 am
Yeah Spock, plus the longer you wait, the price is always affected by the next contract someone signs. If the Cowboys really want Pickens it will cost them $45 million per. And being such a Diva that is always a problem waiting to happen.
I will take Watson because he has a good head on his shoulders as well as talent.
Starrbrite
June 07, 2026 at 12:23 am
I’m a huge Watson fan. Had he and Tom (I think?) not been hurt in the playoff against Philly, the outcome may have been different.
I was one however, who liked the trade possibility of Watson for Indy RB Jonathan Taylor. I still believe it would have been a good trade. But I very much like Watson.
Go Packers!!!