Watkins staying in Kansas City
With most of the talk around the National Football League these days surrounding the return to play plan and which players are opting out, Sammy Watkins of the Kansas City Chiefs was singing a different tune on Sunday talking to reporters. Not only will Watkins be playing during the 2020 NFL season, he will also be taking less money to do so.
Watkins enters the final season of his contract with the Chiefs and could have fought against taking a reduced salary for the upcoming campaign. But after winning a Super Bowl with the organization in February, the wide receiver claims he just wants to stay where he is.
“Very important to stay,” said Watkins, via ESPN. “For what we did in winning the Super Bowl and the type of team and coaches we have, the organization, why wouldn’t I stay? I’m a guy that’s been in the league going on seven years, and I’ve been on teams that were not so good and were not winning.
“We’ve got a well-established quarterback, a well-established team, coaches, organization. The real fun is in the winning more than anything.”
The 27-year-old agreed to take a pay cut that would see his salary reduced from $14m to $9m. Watkins made it clear though, money isn’t his only motivation for playing football. He wants to be on a team that can contend and in the salary cap world of the NFL, not every player can make top dollar.
“I think I’ve made enough money,” Watkins said. “I’d love more money, but as far as being smart and [staying] on this team, knowing you’ve got to pay Pat [Mahomes], you’ve got to pay Chris [Jones], there’s a lot of guys you’ve got to pay. So for me to take a contract like I did was a blessing. … This is my happy place, so why not take a smaller contract and come out and play with the guys I’ve been playing with?”
Watkins will be entering his third season with the Chiefs, having played 24 regular season games and five postseason games with the club. He was drafted fourth overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2014 NFL Draft, but failed to make the playoffs once in his three seasons playing in Western New York. It may be the reason why he is so excited to finally be playing on a winning team, even if it means sacrificing individual accomplishments.
“I’m past that. … I just really want to get back to football,” he said. “Every receiver, any player wants to go out there and do well and score touchdowns or catch as many balls as you possibly can and get the yards. I want those type of things.
“But that’s not my focus. My focus is getting the win and going out there and having fun. The focus is on trying to win games. If we can win games and the Super Bowl and I can get 1,000 yards, then that would be great. You’ve got to be realistic with yourself and say that we have arguably seven superstars on one offense.”
The Chiefs begin their defense of the Super Bowl on September 10th when they host the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium. It remains to be seen whether any fans will be permitted to be in attendance.
