The timing is painfully poetic. Hours before the Green Bay Packers meet the Detroit Lions in a heavyweight season opener at Lambeau Field, the defending NFC North champions delivered a long-term blow.
Late on Saturday evening, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Lions have handed wide receiver Jameson Williams a three-year extension worth $83 million, with a massive $67 million guaranteed. That's a monumental $27.7 million per year. While it doesn't quite crack the top 10 for wide receiver salaries, it's a staggering sum of money to pay a WR2.
The move may seem relatively unrelated to the Packers, but Christian Watson will be watching closely.
Packers may have little choice but to watch Christian Watson depart after massive Jameson Williams extension
The Micah Parsons trade is as game-changing as it gets, launching the Packers into Super Bowl contention. But it comes at a cost — the $47 million salary he landed last week severely restricts what Green Bay can do with upcoming extensions.
Watson is one of many key starters with expiring contracts in 2026, and the Packers may have to accept a harsh reality.
They'd undoubtedly love to sign him to a long-term extension, but with so many other important players hitting free agency, like Quay Walker, Rasheed Walker, and Romeo Doubs, his departure now feels more inevitable than ever.
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Watson has battled injuries throughout his NFL career and will miss at least four games on the PUP list, but he will have an opportunity to earn himself a massive contract. Like Williams, Watson has the speed and athleticism that can't be taught. Watson's presence on the field and big-play ability force defensive coordinators to change their game plans.
But if Williams — who averages fewer yards per game and has four fewer touchdown catches than Watson since they entered the league in 2022 — can receive a deal worth $27.7 million annually, so can Watson.
The Packers likely can't afford to match it.
They have first-round pick Matthew Golden, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks under contract. The Packers will have other priorities.
Per Over The Cap, they sit at a little over $10.2 million in cap space for 2026. Cap hits for Jordan Love and Micah Parsons will rise sharply in the years ahead, limiting how aggressive the Packers can be in the free-agent market.
Retaining Watson was already going to be a challenge, but the Lions may have just sealed his fate in Green Bay.