Sammy Watkins Stays With the Kansas City Chiefs

The bomb went off in Kansas City this morning – Sammy Watkins is staying with the Chiefs for one more year. After a period of uncertainty, the reliable wide receiver and the organization made an agreement, which will make everyone happy.

According to the sources, the deal will be for one year, and it gives Watkins a base salary of $9 million, with a possibility of reaching $16 million after incentives.

Now, why is this a win-win situation for everyone?

The Chiefs have reached an agreement with Sammy Watkins on a new 1-year deal that will pay him a base of $9m for 2020 with an incentive package that can reach $16m, a source tells me.

The move creates $5m in cap space for the Chiefs to operate this offseason.

— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) April 3, 2020

First of all, the team not only saved the player but a lot of money also. Watkins was about to enter the last season of his three-year contract worth $48 million. He was about to earn $14 million, which weren’t guaranteed, but anyway created a problem for the Chiefs regarding the salary cap space. With this reconstructed contract, the Super Bowl champions saved $5 million and will have a chance to work out some deal on the market during this free agency.

That was of massive importance for Andy Reid and the staff, because the Chiefs were left with 171 dollars available in the cap. His entire deal goes like this.

Watkins will receive $1 million as a signing bonus, $7 million in base salary, $1 million in per-game roster bonuses. Up to one million for playtime (75%) or TD (7TDs) incentives, the rest six million will be spread according to performances and postseason incentives.

As for Watkins, he is staying in Kansas City, and will have a chance to attack the title again with Mahomes and the guys. He was reasonable enough to work out a deal and to stay playing for arguably the No.1 Super Bowl candidate, instead of going out on a market that isn’t that promising for the wide receivers.

Since arriving in KC, he’s been one of the most important pieces of Ried’ offense. Although some say that he didn’t meet the expectations following his luxury deal with the Chiefs, that argument is simply not valid when looking at the playoff performances.

Watkins’ postseason incentives breakdown:
—8TDs and team makes playoffs: $750k
—65 catches + playoffs: $750k
—800yds + playoffs: $750k
—AFC Champ win (50% snaps in game): $1.25m
—65 catches + AFC Champ: $1.25m
—800 yds + AFC Champ: $1.25m

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 3, 2020

Watkins was excellent in both AFC Championship Games played, recording 114 yards in 2018 against the Pats, the same as this year against the Titans, where he added a TD too. In the Super Bowl LIV against the 49ers, Watkins delivered a game-changer, the 38-yard catch, which eventually created a big swing, allowing the Chiefs to score on the same drive. So, although he didn’t produce big numbers overall, when needed the most, the 26-year old WR appeared and earned his paycheck.

The fans are also content after this move, as they respect Watkins and see him as an integral part of the team’s core. Before joining the Chiefs, he played for the Bills for three seasons, where he had the best year of his career back in 2015, catching 1,047 yards as a sophomore, and posting 9 touchdowns.

After that, he spent a season in 2017 with the LA Rams, before coming to Arrowhead stadium.

After Demarcus Robinson, he is the second Chief who signed a new deal this week. The Chiefs are determined to defend the title, which is one of the reasons why they wanted to release some money inside the cap. We’ll see their next moves, but it is safe to say that even if they don’t bring any new faces, this team has more than what it takes to go all the way once again.