Under NFL rules, the earliest the Packers can get wide receiver Christian Watson back on the field would be September 28, when the team travels to Dallas to play the Cowboys in what will be a ballyhooed Sunday night matchup. That’s because Watson, recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the season finale in January, is on the physically unable to perform list, which requires he misses four games.

But if the stakes were high? Well, Watson said he would put side his rehab and be physically able to perform in an NFL game, in the right circumstance.

“I feel like if it was, you know, the NFC Championship Game tomorrow, I would be able to go out there and feel confident, for sure,” Watson said at his locker on Monday. “But I mean, at the end of the day, I gotta be as smart as I can with it and not let it be a long-term thing. Nine months is long enough, so I wanna get the nine months out the way and come back and be 100% Christian Watson and go out there and not have to worry about it anymore.”

Christian Watson Wants to Be 110%

Watson knows a lot when it comes to worrying about injuries. He had his 2023 campaign pretty much torpedoed by persistent hamstring problems, and probably tried to come back too fast, after missing the first three weeks of the season.

He got injured again and missed the final five weeks of the season. As much as he wants to get back on the field sooner rather than later, he knows that discretion is the better part of valor. Even if he could be ready for the end of September, that might not be the best way to proceed.

“I’m already champing at the bit,” Watson said. “I gotta listen to both shoulders. I gotta understand what’s the smartest way to go about it, at the same time, I feel like I’ve learned from experiences in the past of trying to get out there too quick, you know, unfortunately. I just gotta try to be as smart as possible so when I know that I’m ready. I’m gonna wanna get out there, but at the same time, I’ve gotta know that I’m 110% ready to go.”

Packers Give a Surprise Extension

Still, it has not been all physical therapy and rehab for Watson this offseason. He made some headlines by agreeing to a team-friendly one-year extension that, essentially, guarantees him $6 million for next season, and goes for $11 million if he plays the year.

Getting it done took some worry out of the equation for Watson.

“It was in the works for quite some time, on and off throughout the offseason. …” Watson said. “From the stuff on the field and the stuff off the field, definitely took a lot of pressure off of my mind and all that for sure.”

He acknowledged that it is a below-market number for a fully healthy version of himself. But Watson also recognizes that his issues staying healthy had to be weighed by the team.

“I know what I am capable of, I think that I know what I’m worth as a player when comparing it to the market and whatnot, but it’s a risk and reward when it comes down to it with the injuries that I’ve had in the past and obviously coming back from a major injury like this,” Watson said. “So, I mean, just weighing the risk and weighing the reward of going both ways with it.

Packers Wide Receivers Are Deep

It remains to be seen what kind of wide-receiver hierarchy that Watson will be coming back to when he does play. The team has had a difficult time establishing a No. 1 receiver, but drafted Matthew Golden in the first round this year to eventually fill that role. Jayden Reed, probably the top pick for the job in the meantime, is out with a broken collarbone.

But Golden has just two catches as tight end Tucker Kraft (eight catches, 140 yards) has been the leading man with receivers Romeo Doubs (five catches for 96 yards) and Dontayvion Wicks (six catches, 74 yards) leading the way on the outside.

Watson is still a speed threat. It’s uncertain where he’ll fit in, but he won’t know until he gets back on the field.

“I am always gonna want to play,” he said. “I don’t think that—if anyone offered me an opportunity to play, I would want to play every single time. But I definitely gotta learn when it’s the right decision and when it’s the wrong decision.”