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Benjamin Watson signs one-year deal to re-join Patriots

By Patrick Morgan

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: Benjamin Watson (#84) of the New England Patriots runs with the ball during the NFL International Series match between New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium on October 25, 2009 in London, England. This is the third occasion where a regular season NFL match has been played in London. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 25: Benjamin Watson (#84) of the New England Patriots runs with the ball during the NFL International Series match between New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Wembley Stadium on October 25, 2009 in London, England. This is the third occasion where a regular season NFL match has been played in London. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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Benjamin Watson reportedly has reneged on his retirement plans to re-join the team that originally drafted him 15 years ago, the New England Patriots.

Exactly two weeks ago, we released a report that intimated recently-retired tight end Benjamin Watson was potentially considering coming back to play another season in the NFL – and with the New England Patriots, no less.

A 15-year veteran who played for the Pats from 2004-2009, it appears that Watson will be reuniting with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick for another go-around in 2019. A new report released today states that Watson has agreed to a one-year deal with New England that could pay him up to $3 million.

After he left the Patriots in 2009, Watson played three seasons with the Cleveland Browns before spending another three seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He had a two-year stint in Baltimore with the Ravens that was marred by injuries before coming back to the Big Easy last season.

More trouble with injuries knocked Watson out of the Saints’ starting lineup for their run to the NFC Championship Game. He decided to retire following the conclusion of the 2018 season, and saw his wife give birth to a set of twins exactly 15 years to the day he was drafted by the Patriots.

Watson’s addition to the Patriots’ tight end corps is significant for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, the team has a dire need to replace Rob Gronkowski’s mammoth production at the position for the past nine years. And although no one player is going to be enough to fulfill that task, a boatload of prospects might at least somewhat help mitigate the loss.

Watson is also both incredibly experienced and presumably familiar already with the Patriots’ offense to some extent. He has the advantage of having played with Brady before, so it’s safe to say there might be an established level of trust and rapport between the two that wouldn’t exist otherwise with Brady and some of the newer faces at tight end.

Next. Odell Beckham Jr. sees the Browns as the new Patriots. dark

Even if he comes nowhere near the level of efficiency and effectiveness he had with the Patriots during his early days, Watson stands to benefit the New England locker room with his leadership and veteran presence. He should help stabilize a group that currently includes Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Ryan Izzo, Matt LaCosse, Andrew Beck, and Stephen Anderson.

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