It’s official — the Green Bay Packers plan to have Christian Watson as their number one wide receiver for the foreseeable future.
On Thursday morning, the two sides agreed to a massive new contract extension that will keep the wide receiver in Green Bay through 2030. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is a four-year extension that is worth $110 million in new money, a $27.5 million average, and comes with a $31 million signing bonus. These numbers come in just shy of the deal that Alec Pierce
signed with the Indianapolis Colts in the offseason (4 years/$114 million), which APC projected as a comparable deal for Watson when it was signed.
Unlike Pierce’s contract, however, Watson still had a year remaining on his current deal, which was set to earn him $5.75 million in cash for the 2026 season. Adding the new deal onto his existing 2026 compensation effectively makes this worth $115.75 million over five years, or $23.15 million per year.
When healthy, Watson has been a tremendous deep threat for the Packers, having averaged 17.0 yards per reception for his career. He took a step forward in 2025, setting career highs in yards per game (61.1) and receptions per game (3.5), both top marks among the Packers’ wide receivers. (Notably, tight end Tucker Kraft matched Watson’s YPG exactly and averaged 4 catches per game.)
The Packers also signed Jayden Reed to a new contract extension earlier this offseason, locking him in through the 2029 season. With last year’s first-round draft pick, Matthew Golden, also under team control through 2029 , the Watson extension solidifies the team’s wide receiver group for the next several years as the Packers look to break through the NFC field and make a Super Bowl run.
Kraft remains the biggest remaining priority for the Packers in terms of extension candidates, as the superstar tight end heads into the final year of his rookie contract. Watson returned from a torn ACL in week 7 last year, and in the only full game that both he and Kraft played — a 35-25 win over the Steelers in week 7 — Watson caught 4 passes for 85 yards while Kraft had 7 catches for 143 and two scores.
