‘He’ll be champing at the bit’ — Packers outline optimistic timeline for return of major offensive weapon
Christian Watson is in the last year of his deal
Christian Watson got hurt in early January, so it would be delusional to expect a return to start the regular season. Usually, the Green Bay Packers give players with torn ACLs something around 10 months to recover, which would put the wide receiver on track to play in November.
But his recovery has gone so well that an October return doesn’t seem that unlikely. Earlier this week, general manager Brian Gutekunst talked about the impactful offensive weapon, and he has impressed the organization.
“I mean, it’s tough because when you see him run, and I’m sure you’ve seen him run too, you want to throw him out there right now,” Gutekunst revealed. “But there’s a timeline with these ACLs. He’s certainly ahead of the curve, no doubt about it. But at the same time, he’s got a long career in front of him, so we’re going to make sure we don’t skip any steps along the way.”
Even though there isn’t a precise timeline at this point, Gutekunst indicated that Watson should miss the first four games of the season on the physically unable to perform list. After that, the comeback will soon be on the table.
“More than likely, he’ll start the year on PUP. After that fourth game, I’m sure he’ll be champing at the bit,” Gutekunst added. “It’s going to take a lot of us to hold him back.”
Big year for Watson’s career
Watson is a big part of the Packers’ offense due to his speed and vertical ability, so having him back relatively early would be massive to build around Matthew Golden, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks. But it’s not a big factor just for the team.
The wide receiver himself has a big individual year ahead. Watson is entering the final year of his rookie deal, slated to make $1.965 million. Strong performances down the stretch could motivate the Packers to give him a big extension—or he would position himself to get an intriguing market in free agency. Another injury-plagued season, and his value would inevitably suffer.
The Packers clearly like what they have in Watson, and a long-term commitment would make sense based on how much Green Bay has invested in him over the years.
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