Former New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson exited the 2018 season with intentions to retire from the NFL, but he may feel he has gas left in the tank. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Watson is weighing his options and might consider one more year after his wife delivers their twins next week. If the right opportunity should open up, Watson might return for another season.
It’s easy to think that Watson isn’t satisfied with how things ended. He was held out of the 2018 NFC championship game after a scare with appendicitis; Watson stood on the sidelines, helpless, as the Saints were forced to go to untested youngsters Dan Arnold and Garrett Griffin in big moments. If he got another shot at winning a Super Bowl title, it would be more shocking if Watson wasn’t up for the chance.
Still, he and the Saints have been working with the assumption that his playing days were behind him. Watson was rumored to be in consideration for a broadcasting role with ESPN, and the Saints signed free agent Jared Cook to replace him as the starting tight end.
Coincidentally, the Watsons’ due date might line up with the conclusion of the draft next week. The Saints could use a third tight end to work with Cook and Josh Hill, and they may be unable to draft one. If that’s the case, bringing Watson back on another veteran-minimum contract would be huge. The Saints would have three proven options at the position.
Whether Watson would want to return to the NFL to (at best) play second fiddle remains to be seen. He entered the league with the New England Patriots way back in 2004, and they have an open competition to start after Rob Gronkowski’s retirement this offseason. It’ll be interesting to see where Watson goes from here.
