Green Bay Packers WR Christian Watson began the 2025 season on the Physically Unable to Perform list while recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 18 of 2024. Earlier this year, the Packers signed Watson to a one-year, $13.25 million bridge extension to keep him under contract through 2026 while he rehabbed, a clear signal the organization viewed him as a long-term piece. Green Bay has now made that commitment official in a much bigger way.
NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the Green Bay Packers have signed Watson to a four-year, $110.5 million contract extension, locking the 25-year-old receiver into the organization well beyond his previous deal. The extension averages $27.625 million per year, placing Watson firmly among the top-paid wide receivers in the league.
Christian Watson signs a four-year, $110.5 million extension with the Green Bay Packers
Adam Schefter broke the news on X, confirming the terms of the deal. With the extension now in place, Watson is secured as a cornerstone of Green Bay’s receiving corps for the foreseeable future.
Green Bay selected Watson 34th overall in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, bringing in a size-speed deep threat with elite athletic testing numbers. He delivered on that profile immediately, emerging as one of the most efficient receivers in the league despite durability concerns that have limited his availability across four seasons.
Over his first four seasons, Watson has posted 133 receptions for 2,264 yards and 20 receiving touchdowns, adding 117 rushing yards and two rushing scores. His 17.0 yards per catch ranks second in the NFL since 2022 among players with at least 100 receptions. Additionally, 97 of his 133 catches have converted for first downs – a 72.9% rate that ranks third in the league in that span.
Watson is one of only three players in Packers history to post at least 125 receptions while averaging 17.0-plus yards per catch in his first four seasons, joining Billy Howton and Hall of Famer James Lofton. That is rare company by any measure.
At $27.625 million per year, the extension fits the broader trend of rapidly escalating wide receiver contracts – comparable in structure to deals like Denver’s four-year, $106 million extension for Nik Bonitto – with Green Bay opting to pay now before the market climbs further. The Packers already have fellow receiver Jayden Reed locked up on a multi-year deal averaging approximately $16–17 million per year, and Watson’s extension establishes the two as Green Bay’s long-term receiving core alongside Jordan Love.
With tight end Tucker Kraft also having dealt with injury concerns – the Packers feared Kraft tore his ACL in a Week 9 loss to the Panthers – securing Watson on a long-term deal takes on added importance for an offense that cannot afford to lose another key weapon. Full guarantee figures and year-by-year cap hits will come into focus once the contract is filed with the league.
The main question surrounding the deal is the one Green Bay has been asking since Watson arrived: can he stay healthy enough to justify top-of-market money and carry a true WR1 workload for Jordan Love’s offense?
Corey Faulkner
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