Christian Watson has his extension, but he's not out of the woods yet, at least when it comes to meeting the high standard his new (updated) four-year, $92.5 million base contract has set. Despite his obvious talent, injuries have held Watson back thus far in his career. He will enter this season with career highs of 41 catches, 620 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns.
The former 34th overall pick is eyeing bigger things in 2026. What does he envision for himself in a fully healthy season? It took some coaxing to get some specific goals out of Watson, but he ultimately obliged.
"I try not to look into the number stuff too much, take it week by week, but if I'm really searching and I want to set personal goals, then I definitely want to have double-digit touchdowns and I want to have over 1,100 yards," Watson told reporters.
Maybe that's shooting for the moon, but why not? Packers fans who have watched him since his rookie days already know he is capable of hitting those lofty benchmarks.
Christian Watson is more than able to meet his own standard
Watson's 2025 numbers, once he made his return from January ACL surgery, would have put him on track for similar thresholds across a full 17-game slate: 59.5 receptions, 1,039 yards, and 10 TDs. Bingo. Those totals are similar enough to his goal figures to make you wonder whether he did the math himself.
Of course, nothing guarantees that Watson will pick up where he left off. Those 10 regular-season games might have been a fluke. What fans have seen with their own eyes during Watson's four years in Green Bay suggests otherwise.
Oddly enough, it was only last season, returning from a severe injury, that Watson looked for any extended period of time like the player that has tantalized the Packers since the 2022 draft. The North Dakota State product has the size and length to be a contested-catch machine and the speed to leave defensive backs in the dust. He finally put it all together during the second half of the 2025 campaign.
If Watson can just stay healthy, it isn't hard to see him reaching his goals with room to spare. That will be particularly true if head coach Matt LaFleur lets the offense off the leash a bit more, leaning into the downfield passing game with Jordan Love and his receivers.
In three years as a starter, Love has yet to average 245 passing yards per game. The past two seasons, he's been right around 225 yards per game. Perhaps a healthy, consistent Watson will encourage LaFleur to scheme up more shot plays.
Watson has missed 16 games in his career, so whether he can survive a season intact is no small uncertainty. But on the premise that he does keep off the injury report, doubt his ability at your own peril.
Ten-plus TDs, 1,100 receiving yards. Sounds like a plan.
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