Jaylen Watson's injury could rob a bright young defender of a well-deserved payday

Jaylen Watson deserves better than this.

No, really. I mean, Watson deserves better—as in tangibly more—than what "this" is likely going to equal, at least if the bread crumbs are telling the truth. Nothing is official at this point, of course, and Watson could work his ass off to tell a different story. As of now, however, Watson looks like he's going to get robbed this week and there's nothing he can do about it.

It's maddening to watch it all unfold.

What happened to Jaylen Watson?

If this seems like we've jumped in mid-stream, we have, so let's back up for the sake of review. On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs waltzed into Santa Clara and left with their most convincing win of th season (six in six games) against the reigning NFC champions, those 49ers. The cost of that victory, however, was an injured Watson, who left in the second half and never returned.

Following the game, it was clear that Watson's injury was a serious one, although nothing official had been announced. Of course, it's a fairly easy conclusion to draw when this is the picture.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid answered a question about the long-term nature of Watson's injury with an affirmative answer. “I think Jaylen will be. Yeah. I mean, we’ll see what the MRI says, but I don’t think that’s going to be great news," said Reid. Following the game, rumors circulated that a broken ankle was the primary concern.

What does Jaylen Watson's injury cost?

Watson's loss is big for the Chiefs' defense. That should be stated here to cover our bases. However, the Chiefs have proven to be remarkably buoyant in the face of losses in the secondary. In recent years, they've bled talents like Charvarius Ward, L'Jarius Sneed, Kendall Fuller, Tyrann Mathieu, Juan Thornhill, and more without missing a beat.

The bigger loss is a personal one because Watson was on a direct trajectory to becoming the next Chiefs' corner to leave the nest for his own nest egg, if you will. For all of the joy of being on a great team and even chasing rings, the truth is that generational wealth is dreamt of by all but achieved by a select few. And Watson was on his way to the latter.

Jaylen Watson had the perfect script

Think of this: top corners get paid. Ward was paid by San Francisco. Sneed was paid by Tennessee. Trent McDuffie will be paid to stay in K.C. Watson had his sights set on the 2026 market and for good reason because he was looking like a man who would be handsomely rewarded by some needy team in free agency.

The script was perfectly set up for Watson and he seized the opportunity afforded him. Remember that coming into this season, the Chiefs were a team playing regularly in primetime with a Sneed-sized hole in the secondary. A starter's role was up for grabs for Watson, Joshua Williams, Nazeeh Johnson and others and Watson took advantage.

The results six games into the season were exemplary from Watson, a highly-graded corner by Pro Football Focus who passed the eye test as well. From every angle, it was clear to both the sabermetrician and casual fan that Watson had made "the leap," and that the Chiefs' ability to maintain such a suffocating defense was partially made possible by Watson's own development.

The ascent of Watson to the top of the depth chart opposite McDuffie was ideal timing for both the team and player. The former seventh-round choice out of Washington State earned immediate playing time for Steve Spagnuolo's defense as a pro-ready corner, and he maintained his role as a rotational contributor and spot starter through his second season while increasing his special teams importance.

This year, however, Watson truly blossomed into something bigger and was locking down opposing receivers on a level that was earning him greater attention than ever before. As the Chiefs kept winning with a thriving defense, the heroes comprising that defense were earning a greater share of the spotlight. And in the NFL, the spotlight means money.

Generational wealth could be a mirage

By taking over a starting role in his third season, Watson still had enough time to put together a solid two-year resume as a starting corner on a Super Bowl contender in order to convince some team to secure the rest of his prime years with a long-term deal. Ward earned $40.5 million over 3 years. Sneed garnered a whopping $76M over 4 seasons.

Those totals are eye-popping for anyone and provide plenty of fuel for a seventh-round pick like Watson, who is helping the Chiefs dominate while being paid an average of $936K per season.

Now, instead of bolstering his resume week after week, the conversation around Watson will turn to his physical status. Next year will be about proving he can stay healthy instead of reminding people he can dominate. The road ahead might include one-year prove-it deals or a team-friendly long-term contract like Mike Danna agreed to sign because the market didn't present as hoped.

All of this could be for naught, of course. Watson's injury might not be as serious as expected or his timeline to return to the field might be shorter than initially believed. We certainly hope for the best. But the sight of Watson on crutches at such a critical juncture in his breakout season reminds us of what's at stake for more than just the team he's on. Here's hoping Watson somehow finds a way to claim every cent he was on pace to earn before suffering an injury in Week 7.