The Packers rewarded Watson with a four-year, $110.5 million extension a few weeks ago as a clear sign of faith, despite the fact that he has missed multiple games in each of his four NFL seasons. They’re clearly counting on Watson to be a big part of a diminished receiver room after Romeo Doubs signed with the Patriots and Dontayvion Wicks was traded to the Eagles.
Change was the theme throughout for the usually conservative Packers, who made some notable changes this offseason.
Watson said it will be “definitely different” with the familiar faces gone, but he promises the Packers still have the talent at the wide receiver position to thrive.
“Just an explosive, high-energy room,” Watson said. “Obviously we have me and (Jayden Reed), who have played a significant amount of snaps with the Packers. I feel like everybody knows what to expect from us. Obviously, we’re going to play when our number is called.”
Watson also singled out last year’s first-round pick Matthew Golden, who didn’t score a touchdown in a disappointing regular season but had a double-double performance in the playoffs that could spark Golden into a bigger second season.
“I don’t think we saw a fraction of what he can do last year,” Watson said of Golden. “I think the more opportunities he gets, the more the world will know exactly who he is. I’m excited about that.”
Watson even sees his quarterback, Jordan Love, who is entering his 7th year, improved in the offseason.
“(Love) just finds a way to get better at what he’s already been great at,” Watson said. “His consistency, somehow finding ways to get better, I feel like he’s always been the anchor of the offense in terms of his mood and his consistency since he got the starting job. He just finds ways to continue to build on that even more.”
“I think his biggest strength is just getting the guys around him with him. I feel like we just rely on his energy, rely on his vibe and he gets everybody else with him. I think that’s definitely his biggest strength and I feel like we’ve gotten a lot better this offseason because of it.”
For Watson, the biggest question is often his health, having missed multiple games in each of his four seasons. The speedster is feeling great, health-wise, and is happy to be injury-free, heading into the regular season refreshed and recharged.
“Obviously (I’ve) got my body back to a really good point and (am) just focusing on football-specific stuff right now this season,” he said. “Feels really, really good”.