Tony Pauline, a longtime NFL reporter and Sportskeeda source, claims that staff favorite Justin Watson is not anticipated to be re-signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, who have a number of seasoned wide receivers scheduled to be available in free agency. On February 28, Pauline reported, “I’m told they’d like to bring receiver Justin Watson back, but they informed his agent they do not have the money to do so.” Pauline said, “The Kansas City Chiefs are heading towards salary-cap hell and have some hard choices to make.”
In other words, unless Watson is willing to return for next to nothing in free agency, the Chiefs will allow him to test his market and most likely leave town — assuming there’s a suitor out there that is offering to pay the soon-to-be 29-year-old more than KC. And from the sound of it, general manager Brett Veach is not going to offer Watson much, if anything.
Watson never recorded more than 460 receiving yards in a single season, despite winning two Super Bowl rings with the Chiefs and a third with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Because of his effectiveness as a blocker and his contribution to special teams, he regularly shows up for games, making 59 appearances for Kansas City over the course of three years (including playoffs). Pauline’s story is not entirely unexpected, given Watson’s postseason usage signaled that the organization would likely move in another way in 2025. Pro Football Focus provided the following snap counts for the three 2024–25 playoff games after each regular season game had an offensive snap count of 20 or more: 4, 11, and 10.
The fact that Kansas City was healthier at the position throughout the postseason contributed to this. The squad still had Xavier Worthy and JuJu Smith-Schuster above Watson in the hierarchy, and Hollywood Brown joined midseason additions like DeAndre Hopkins and Nikko Remigio. Even though quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid have recently favored the unheralded wide out, it would make sense if they parted ways. As he nears the conclusion of his playing career, Watson should accept the highest offer available, and the Chiefs would be better suited investing in other players and positions.
The majority of the wide receivers on the Chiefs’ lengthy list of free agents this spring may be leaving. Veach openly stated that he would like to re-sign Brown, but the status of UFAs Hopkins, Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, and Watson is less clear. One or two of these players might return on the cheap because Reid enjoys getting back together with offensive players who are familiar with his scheme. However, by the time we get to training camp, it’s also feasible that none at all or just one are back. Given his potential, Brown might receive a bigger offer elsewhere. Would he accept the biggest salary available following a season marred by injuries?
It’s expected that Hardman and Watson will only receive a veteran minimum camp invitation from Kansas City, which will cause them to leave. Additionally, some predict that the Chiefs will decide whether to re-sign Smith-Schuster or Hopkins because they both have extremely comparable roles at this point in their careers. Another possible departure from the Kansas City wide receiver corps? Skyy Moore, a former pass-catcher selected in the second round. If the Chiefs cut Moore, who is about to reach the last year of his rookie deal, they will save just over $1.584 million.
To this point, the former Western Michigan product has been a total bust. So, it could make sense for KC to bite the bullet on this draft flop and shed some more cap space for an alternative roster move.
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