I appreciate Watkins being open about this. Curious to see if the Chiefs would be cool with him skipping OTAs if we signed a team friendly extension. I do think this really cools the trade market for him. Going to be interesting.
Originally Posted by :
Sammy Watkins spent part of the week leading up to Super Bowl LIV musing that he might take a year off from football if the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl.
Two days after K.C. hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after knocking off the San Francisco 49ers, Watkins told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he is still considering some sort of break from the game this offseason, whether he's a member of the Chiefs or not.
"At the end of the day, I think the Kansas City Chiefs are in control as far as contract talks, you know? A guy of my stature, I'm still young, I still think I have a lot of good football in me. But as you know, it takes a toll on the body, the mental, the physical and I'm gonna really weigh my options out and see if I need to sit out the whole OTAs or something like that, just to get my mental back and be with my kids and family," Watkins said. "It's been a long season for the last two years. We've been in the playoffs, going all the way to the third round last year, then won the Super Bowl. So I honestly think mentally, physically, soulfully, spiritually, I need some downtime. So I will talk to coach [Andy] Reid about it.
"I don't control the contract, a trade or if they're going to give me a bigger contract. That's not my worry. I'm not really focused on the money aspect of it. I'm really focused on my health, mental health and really checking in on and making sure I'm OK with my life, my family, my wife, my kids. Once I figure that out, I think I'll be fine."
After four seasons with the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Rams, Watkins signed a three-year deal worth $48 million with Kansas City during the 2018 offseason. After two so-so regular seasons and two spectacular postseasons, during which he dealt with injuries and played in 29 games, Watkins has one year left on his deal and is owed $14 million in 2020. However, if the Chiefs were to move on from Watkins, they would take on only $7 million in dead cap.
All this begs questions in the offseason as to whether K.C. want to retain Watkins at that price, whether the Chiefs will try to trade the receiver or whether they will renegotiate his deal. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported last week that Kansas City is more likely to trade or release Watkins. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero said Tuesday afternoon that the Chiefs want to work something out with Watkins, though it won't be easy.
And then there's the query as to whether Watkins is willing to play on a pay cut or at all, given his recent comments. The receiver answered that definitively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, saying he has no intention to walk away.
"I'm too young to retire. I have not done enough yet, you know what I mean?" Watkins said. "Why not go win another championship and continue to be great? ... Be a Pro Bowl receiver. Be an All-Pro. There are a lot of things I haven't accomplished yet being. The Super Bowl is one of the biggest accomplishments in this league but I haven't did the individual goals yet and hopefully I can accomplish those next year either with the Kansas City Chiefs or another team.
"Those are the little things I want to hit, not to be selfish, but those are things I haven't really done in my career and those are things I want to do. Hopefully the next eight, nine years if I continue to be blessed and play that long, that I have those Hall of Fame numbers that I'm shooting for. Those are the dreams that I still haven't accomplished yet and those are the things I still want to accomplish."
At just 26 years old, Watkins has already reached the peak of professional football. But as he said, the receiver has not reached his personal goals. A 2014 first-round pick, Watkins has yet to reach the Pro Bowl or be voted to an All-Pro team. He has gone over 1,000 receiving yards in a season just once and averaged 707.3 yards per year through six campaigns. After scoring eight touchdowns in 2017, Watkins has logged just six in the past two regular seasons.
Now that he has won the Super Bowl, these are the numbers that stand out to him, the things to drive him to want to play on, for Kansas City or another team.
All Watkins needs is a little time off to get his head (and contract situation) right.
Originally Posted by JohnnyHammersticks:
Regardless of whether he's back or not, whether he lived up to expectations or not, whether he'll take a sweetheart deal or not, etc....Sammy will always be a Chief and will always be one of the guys on the team that broke the curse. He's a World Champion. Whatever happens, no one can ever take that away from him.
He should never have to buy another meal/drink in KC
Yeah and he burned richard Sherman at crunch time to stick the dagger in. I wont ever forget that play. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Pawnmower:
Yeah and he burned richard Sherman at crunch time to stick the dagger in. I wont ever forget that play.
It was awesome!! Sherman is too arrogant in my view, and it's great to see a pretty humble person in Sammy Watkins torch the hell out of Sherm in the clutch. :-) [Reply]
I’d let him skip OTAs just make sure he ready by training camp. On a side note Jones told Rich Eisen that he may take a hometown discount to stay with the Chiefs!!
If he does take a year off, where does that leave the Chiefs financially? I see we can cut him, but if it's his choice not to play, doesn't that void his contract and gives us back $14M? [Reply]
Originally Posted by oldman:
If he does take a year off, where does that leave the Chiefs financially? I see we can cut him, but if it's his choice not to play, doesn't that void his contract and gives us back $14M?
You get to freeze the contract so basically you still essentially have the rights but he doesn't get paid.
It's also not going to happen, he either gets some new deal worked out or he gets cut, that contract was never signed with the idea he would play on that 3rd year number. [Reply]
Id love to have him around, but we'd also be saving a ton of money. Hardman with another year will step it up another notch, i think Demarcus will come back cheap, and I'm ok with Pringle as yet another option. [Reply]
Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501:
Id love to have him around, but we'd also be saving a ton of money. Hardman with another year will step it up another notch, i think Demarcus will come back cheap, and I'm ok with Pringle as yet another option.
If you've seen the free agent WR market...Robinson is going to have a market so I don't expect him back.
If you wanna just be honest we're looking at Hill, Hardman, Pringle and Kemp as the WR's we have going into next year so something will probably have to be done. [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
If you want to really up your numbers, i'd think being in an offense with Mahomes and led by Andy Reid would be your best option, no?
Yes and no, but mostly yes.
When Antonio Bryant was with the steelers they literraly would design plays around him, and no one else.
If we are designing plays around Kelce/Hill/ and THEN watkins, he will always be around a 800yard-1000yard player max imo. Only so many yards to go around,and Tyreek/Kelce are gonna get theirs, and then the randoms will get theirs, which leaves watkins around 800-1000 imo. [Reply]
