Sammy Watkins was 'on the couch getting fat.' Now he's getting another shot with the Packers.
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sammy Watkins was “on the couch getting fat,” staring into the abyss of life after the NFL, when his phone rang this spring.
He didn’t expect the call that might revive a career on life support. The timing felt like something more than coincidence. At the start of this offseason, Watkins questioned whether he'd played his final snap eight years after being the first receiver taken in the 2014 draft. He had stopped working out, spending time instead with his wife and kids, watching the scale tick up to 220 pounds.
A red-line weight for a player who has struggled avoiding injuries.
On a whim, Watkins returned to the gym this spring. He was defiant. Hopeful. He also had no real reason to be. Until his phone rang soon after, and Watkins’ agent told him a coach from his past was interested in providing what might be a last chance.
“My agent hit me up,” Watkins said, “and told me to come down here. I was like, ‘Man, give me an extra day.’ He was like, ‘No, you need to get there now.’ So I came up and met with coach Matt (LaFleur). We kind of, as they called it, broke bread, hung out, had fun, talked.”
The conversation piqued interest from both sides. The Green Bay Packers' motivation was clear. Since the St. Patrick’s Day trade that sent Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders, the need for receivers has been glaring. In Watkins, general manager Brian Gutekunst took a flier on a former fourth overall pick, a wideout the Buffalo Bills once traded a pair of first-round picks and a fourth rounder just to move up five spots to draft.
The theory was to reunite Watkins with a coach who has resuscitated the veteran receiver once before. LaFleur was the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator in 2017, Watkins’ lone year in L.A. That season, Watkins rebounded from a disappointing end in Buffalo, catching 39 passes for 593 yards and eight touchdowns while averaging 15.2 yards per reception. Watkins signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs the next spring.
Since then, his career has plummeted. Watkins has never caught more than three touchdowns or averaged more than 13 yards per catch in his past four seasons, including last year in Baltimore. He’s also been derailed by injuries, missing at least four games three times since 2017.
“I don’t think his game has fallen off at all since we were together in 2017,” LaFleur said. “A little bit has been maybe a little bit lack of opportunity, but I think he’s a guy who’s out there working hard, and he’s going to be a big part of our offense.”
It’s a bold forecast for a receiver who hasn’t been a big part of an offense in recent years, but LaFleur’s expectations could be partially by default. If not Watkins, then who? The Packers are devoid of a true No. 1 receiver. Christian Watson is a rookie. Randall Cobb will turn 32 years old midway through training camp. Amari Rodgers has a mountain to climb after flopping as a rookie. Allen Lazard, the most productive returning receiver, has been AWOL this offseason as he holds out for a long-term deal instead of signing the Packers’ restricted free agent offer.
Aaron Rodgers echoed LaFleur’s seal of approval after the opening day of minicamp. The quarterback Facetimed his new receiver when Watkins signed his contract, signaling an urgency to connect. Watkins has already made an impression with training camp’s start date still six weeks away.
“I knew that he was somebody we had targeted and were interested in,” Rodgers said, “and I was 100 percent on board with that. I think it’s important you get guys who have a lot to play for, and I think Sammy has an opportunity to continue and travel down a new path in his career that we can help him here as he continues to improve and get opportunities. The most important thing for receivers and pass catchers and ball carriers is opportunities, and there’s definitely going to be opportunities for him to make plays in this offense.
“I love the disposition, I really enjoy the person, and I think he has everything right in front of him to have as productive of a year as he wants to.”
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Watkins doesn’t doubt he can still be a productive NFL receiver, if he can avoid the “injury bug” that has haunted him. His 2018 season got off to a promising start, including a 100-yard game in Week 2, but a right foot injury in November knocked him out of a game in Cleveland. Two weeks later, Watkins returned perhaps too early to play his former team in Los Angeles. He was on the field for just five snaps before reinjuring his foot, missing the season’s final five games.
After a hamstring injury cost him two games in 2019, Watkins battled a groin injury in training camp the following year. He missed five games with a hamstring strain and three with a calf strain in 2020. In 2021, he missed three games with a thigh injury.
As the injury reports mounted, doubt seeped in.
“Injury after injury,” Watkins said, “you kind of get worried. What is my destiny? What team is going to pick me up? To get this opportunity is a blessing for me.”
Watkins has tried to treat each injury as a lesson. He’s taking better care of his body than before, he said. More stretching. More cold tub. Whatever it takes to stay on the field.
He stressed that urgency to LaFleur when they broke bread this spring. Watkins knows what’s at stake. He might never get another chance.
“I told the coaches,” Watkins said, “my back is against the wall. My career hasn’t been what I projected it to be. It’s a great opportunity for me to come here, play hard, catch a ton of balls, compete at the highest level and win games. And fight to stay healthy. That’s been the knock on my career, staying on the field.”
Watkins isn’t getting fat on his couch anymore. He’s trimmed five pounds, down to 215. A big-bodied receiver, Watkins said staying under 220 is important. Many of his injuries have come at that weight, he said.
Now he has a four-time MVP throwing him passes, hoping to do more than when he had another MVP as his quarterback in Kansas City. Watkins never maximized Patrick Mahomes’ generational talent, but he’s still defiant. Hopeful this time will be different.
“I’m not done yet,” Watkins said. “I feel like I’ve got a lot more in my tank. A lot more football to be played at the highest level. Hopefully I can be consistent and stay on the field.”