If you spend any time in any online space related to books or writing online, you know there’s a slow-rolling literacy crisis going on in America. Fewer and fewer people are reading for enjoyment, and even fewer seem to be comprehending what they’re reading.
Based on the online discussion around Christian Watson’s contract, I’d gently suggest the innumeracy crisis is even worse.
People seem to genuinely have no idea what Watson’s deal actually looks like in context, what he’s actually getting, or why
the Packers might be interested in giving him such a deal in the first place.
I can forgive the last one, at least a little. Every NFL fan, regrettably, can’t be a Packers fan, so there are a lot of people out there unfamiliar with what Watson can contribute. But there’s no excuse for not knowing how NFL contracts work in 2026 or how Watson’s deal compares to other significant wide receiver contracts.
To read the discourse, you’d think the Packers invited Watson to Lambeau Field and handed him a Publishers Clearinghouse-style giant novelty check for $110 million. In reality, the actual value of his contract is closer to $92 million, and Watson’s only getting around $31 million in guarantees, a relatively paltry sum over the life of a four year extension.
Moreover, Watson is just the 20th highest paid receiver in the NFL by APY. Sure, it’s a big number for a guy whose volume stats don’t look super exciting, but the dollar figure basically amounts to “here’s what a starting wide receiver costs” and little more. Within a year, maybe two at most, he’ll be outside the top 25.
I think you can object to the Watson deal. If you’re really hung up on availability (another canard, honestly, given his non-ACL availability the last two seasons), that’s fine. But at least show that you’ve done enough research to criticize the deal on grounds other than “big number scary.”
Contract extension only further fuels Christian Watson’s fire | Packers.com
Watson’s got the money, now he’s ready to be the money man for the Packers.
Christian Watson not shying away from lofty goals after extension | Packers News ($)
Watson wants at least 1,100 yards and 10 touchdowns this year, both of which seem pretty achievable.
Packers Place All-In, Make-or-Break $142.25 Million Bet on Potential | Sports Illustrated
Everybody knows the Packers aren’t really paying Jayden Reed and Christian Watson a combined $142.24 million, right?
Packers rookie Jager Burton getting more first-team reps at minicamp | Packers Wire
Jager Burton’s star is already on the rise.
NFL divisions ranked by QB talent for the 2026 season | NFL.com
The Packers, curiously, seem like an afterthought in the NFC North.
People kept telling him his room was bugged, but the 100,000 actual bugs made it a little confusing.
