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KC Chiefs: Retaining Sammy Watkins is something Chiefs should avoid

By Leigh Oleszczak

MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 02: Sammy Watkins #14 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs with the ball after catching a pass against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs won the game 31-20. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - FEBRUARY 02: Sammy Watkins #14 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs with the ball after catching a pass against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium on February 02, 2020 in Miami, Florida. The Chiefs won the game 31-20. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /
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The KC Chiefs have a lot of decisions to make this offseason and one of them is what to do with Sammy Watkins and the $21 million he’s owed for the 2020 season.

Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report picked one move that every team in the NFL needs to avoid this offseason and for the Kansas City Chiefs, he said it was retaining wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

"Sammy Watkins’ departure is the most logical move. Kansas City would save $14 million by trading or releasing the wide receiver this offseason. Even so, general manager Brett Veach is looking to retain the 26-year-old."

With most things, there are pros and cons to keeping Watkins in a Chiefs uniform in 2020.

The pros involve having a W2 behind Tyreek Hill and that the Chiefs might not really have many other options outside of Hill and Mecole Hardman. The cons are that he’s expensive, injury prone, and did nearly all of his damage with the Chiefs in the playoffs and was ineffective throughout the course of the regular season.

Sobleski did say that if the Chiefs parted ways with Watkins, it could pave the way for them to bring back Demarcus Robinson for less money and that’s not something I see happening. Robinson is a WR3 at best for the Chiefs even with Watkins in another uniform. Hardman had a better season than Robinson in 2019 and he wasn’t even playing wide receiver for the majority of the season, so that’s definitely noteworthy.

Watkins signed a massive deal with the Chiefs prior to the 2018 season and has mostly disappointed for the team in the two regular seasons he’s spent with them, hauling in 92 receptions for 1,192 yards and six touchdowns.

The playoffs have been another story for Watkins, however, and if the Chiefs opt to keep him around, it’ll be because of what he did in the playoffs. Watkins played in five postseason games for the Chiefs and was great in all five of those match-ups (24 catches for 464 total yards and a touchdown).

Watkins came to play when it mattered the most with his catches in the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl being game changers. He’s only 26 years old and the Chiefs are his third NFL team since he joined the league in 2014, which shows that his frustrations aren’t linked to just the Chiefs.

While I’d be fine with the Chiefs keeping Watkins, he’d need to restructure his contract because he’s not worth $21 million next season. Signing Chris Jones long-term and eventually extending Patrick Mahomes are the biggest moves needing to be made this offseason. It’d also be nice to keep guys like Emmanuel Ogbah and Mike Pennel in Kansas City and Watkins’ $21 million he’s owed in 2020 would make doing that more difficult.

What do you hope happens with Sammy Watkins this offseason?

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