Chiefs reportedly more likely to trade or release Sammy Watkins than extend

According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, the Kansas City Chiefs are more likely to trade or release Sammy Watkins than extend his contract.

In the last couple days, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver made some interesting comments to a reporter stating how much he would love to stay with the team and that he might be willing to consider a pay cut to stay working in Andy Reid‘s offense.

One day later, NFL reporter Ian Rapoport makes mention of Watkins comments but says that the Chiefs are still more likely to try to trade or release Watkins outright than extend his contract.

One thing is for sure in all of this: Watkins’ current cap hit of $21 million is not palatable for the Chiefs going forward.

Watkins first signed a three-year deal with the Chiefs early in 2018 and even then, the deal was termed risky and expensive. However, in Watkins’ tenure with the Chiefs, while he hasn’t become a 1,000-yard receiver in this offense alongside so many others who deserve their targets, Watkins is an unguardable option once defenses have keyed in on the others.

In Week 1 of this year, Watkins took over when Tyreek Hill was injured and put up 198 yards and 3 touchdowns in a win over the Jaguars. In the postseason, when defenses try to remove Hill and/or Travis Kelce from the game, it’s Watkins who is able to enjoy the spoils, taking advantage of man coverage and showing how dangerous he can be after the catch as well.

The Chiefs’ decision will likely come down to whether or not Watkins is serious about a pay cut (and if so, how much?) as well as what they might receive on the open market if Watkins was made available via trade. That might leave Watkins in the lurch for a while as the team figures out what to do with him.

For now, however, there should only be one focus for everyone.