A seemingly-inevitable move was ironed out on Thursday, as former New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson agreed to a one-year contract with the New England Patriots. Watson suspended his retirement from the NFL to return for one more run at a Super Bowl. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Watson’s contract is worth $3 million, slightly more than the $2 million he earned from the Saints in 2018.
Watson, 38, started his career in New England as their first-round pick in the 2004 draft. He helped win Super Bowl XXXIX with the Patriots and later played for the Cleveland Browns, Saints, and Baltimore Ravens, before returning.
He’ll step into a good situation with the Patriots as the clear-cut starter. With Rob Gronkowski having retired earlier this offseason, the only other tight ends on their depth chart are Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Stephen Anderson, Matt LaCosse, Ryan Izzo, and Andrew Beck.
It’s disappointing that the Saints were unable to bring Watson back for another year, but it makes sense why he’d go elsewhere. They signed free agent Jared Cook to upgrade his roster spot and have Josh Hill in place as the backup. Rookie Alize Mack will make it a real competition at the back end of the roster with last year’s reserves, Garrett Griffin and Dan Arnold. The path for Watson to play meaningful snaps again with the Saints is tough to see.
Hopefully Watson has a good year. He did nothing but compete hard on the field, earn the respect of teammates, and represent the Saints well in his community during his time with the team. His career deserves a better ending than being forced to sit out last year’s NFC championship game.
