It didn’t take long for Justin Watson to catch the attention of Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes. And even Mahomes himself didn’t expect it.
“He’s been a pleasant surprise for me,” Patrick Mahomes said back in May 2022. “That dude can roll. He came down to Texas. I threw with him the first day, and I called [General Manager Brett] Veach and I was like, ‘Wait, how fast is this guy?’ He was running so fast that I was late on my throws.”
Watson eventually recorded the best season of his career with Mahomes and the Chiefs and he was the center of several key plays that helped the team earn its third Super Bowl.
He also helped the offense stay afloat when Chiefs receivers Mecole Hardman, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Kadarius Toney missed games due to injury.
“Whenever guys have gone down or he’s had to hop in for a rep, he makes the most of it,” Mahomes said back in November. “You have to have those guys — because when we have a situation like we had in this last game, he can be that guy to step up and make a lot of big plays for us.”
The Chiefs showed their appreciation to Watson on Friday by re-signing him to a two-year deal, per his agency, JL Sports.
Watson won’t have to worry about making the roster this year and should even have a bigger role on offense even if the Chiefs add another receiver at some point down the road.
Congratulations to client @jwat05 on re-signing with the @Chiefs on a 2-year deal ????
— JL Sports (@JLSports3) April 14, 2023
He also has a special teams presence, evidenced by his 64 snaps in 2022. The former fifth-round pick recorded 15 receptions for 315 yards and two touchdowns on 34 targets last year. His 21.0 yards per catch was the best of all his teammates with at least two receptions, as well.
