Penn football alumnus Justin Watson has reportedly signed a new, two-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. The deal will keep Watson under contract until 2025, and for the Chiefs, this ensures that they will return another important piece of their Super Bowl LVII-winning receiving core.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the contract is for up to $6 million — including incentives, of which $1.4 million is guaranteed at signing.
Last season, Watson tied his career high in receptions with 15 and receiving touchdowns with two, while racking up 315 receiving yards, the most of his career by a wide margin and the fifth-most of the entire Chiefs roster. Beyond that, he played a key role on special teams for the Chiefs.
Watson spent the first four years of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who selected him 144th overall in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. While there, the Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV in February 2021, even though Watson was not active for the Super Bowl itself. Following the 2021 season, Watson signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs worth $1.035 million, according to Spotrac.
Before going to the NFL, Watson starred for the Quakers from 2014 until 2017. He holds the Penn career and single-season records in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns, and is top-three in Ivy League history in all three of those categories as well.
During his 2017 senior season, Watson accounted for around half of Penn's total receptions and receiving yards, both of which were the most of any FCS receiver that season. Watson also played a key role on the Penn teams which won the Ivy League in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Now, Watson finds himself looking to go back-to-back again. This time, on the biggest stage.
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