Wideout Sammy Watkins is staying in Kansas City Chiefs. According to sources close to the team, Watkins and Chiefs have agreed to a new, reworked contract.
Cap-strapped Chiefs were reportedly looking to part ways with Watkins in recent weeks, considering he was set to earn $13.7 million this year while counting a massive $21 million against the cap. But then the 26-year-old agreed to have his deal tweaked a bit in order to stay with the Super Bowl champions.
Watkins’ new deal will see him earn $9 million in base salary in 2020. He will also have the possibility to get $7 million more based on various incentives while receiving a no-trade clause. Kansas City, on the other hand, frees $5 million in cap space.
The team hasn’t officially confirmed the news, but Watkins acknowledged the new deal on social media on Friday.
Sammy Watkins arrived in Kansas City in 2018, inking a three-year, $48 million contract with the Chiefs. And while he didn’t produce according to his salary in the past two years, Watkins was a solid contributor to the team, especially last season.
Watkins finished the 2019 regular season with 52 receptions for 673 yards and three touchdowns and then stepped up his game in the postseason. In Chiefs’ road to Super Bowl win, he had 14 receptions for 288 yards and two TDs.
“He’s done a great job for us,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid recently said about Watkins. “And as good a player he is, he’s an even better person, so we’ve enjoyed having him here.”
