The Green Bay Packers made another investment in their receiving corps Thursday as they signed their fifth-year receiver Christian Watson to a four-year, $110.5 million contract extension,
according to Adam Schefter.
Schefter also reported that the deal included a $31 million signing bonus. Watson will be making an average of $27.6 million per year over the duration of the four-year deal.
Back in April, the Packers extended another of their wide receivers, Jayden Reed, to a three-year extension worth just over $50 million,
according to the NFL.
How do these contracts stack up against the rest of the league?
The $27.6 million AAV of Watson’s contract sits at 15th in the league, while Reed’s $16.8 million sits at 31st. Both contracts seem like very team-friendly deals for Green Bay, considering Watson and Reed are their top-two pass-catching options.
Compared these to the
likes of the top earners, such as Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase. Their AAVs eclipse $40 million, making the combined $44.4 of Watson and Reed look relatively affordable.
The likely reason for the team-friendly contracts, given their efficiency, is the duo’s limited availability over the past few seasons.
Health is a Concern
Watson and Reed, second-round picks in back-to-back drafts (2022 & 2023), have both become important pieces in Matt Lafleur’s offense. The primary issue for the duo has been their health.
Watson has missed a large portion of two seasons with lower-body injuries. An ACL tear cost him the first half of the 2025 season, and hamstring issues sidelined him for multiple games in 2023.
Reed has been comparatively healthy, as he has only missed significant time once in his three-year career. However, that one year was 2025, when he dealt with multiple significant injuries, including a broken collarbone and a fracture in his foot.
The injury history for both has raised some questions about the decision to invest in them long-term. While that is undoubtedly a concern for Green Bay’s front office, the efficiency of Watson and Reed, along with their impact on the offense, cannot be ignored.
An Efficient Duo
Watson, when healthy, has turned into one of the premier downfield threats in the league. He ranked second in the NFL in yards per reception in 2025 with 17.5, which is up from his four-year average of 17.
Reed is the Swiss Army Knife of the Packers’ offense. The play design of LaFleur was noticeably simpler when Reed was unavailable in 2025, as he can line up anywhere, from out wide to in the backfield.
Both Watson and Reed average about 800 yards per season, which is more impressive given that they have played in LaFleur’s run-heavy offense. They were also splitting targets heavily with the likes of Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Malik Heath, all of whom have left the team.
The Packers’ wide receiver room in 2026 will likely run through Watson, Reed, and second-year man Matthew Golden. Look for them to have big seasons with Jordan Love at the helm, provided they can stay on the field.