Clemson football: Sammy Watkins signs with Pack, joins Amari Rodgers

Sammy Watkins was a legend of epic proportions for Clemson football when he stepped on campus and played three years in the orange and white.

Watkins racked up 240 catches for 3,391 yards and 27 touchdowns as a receiver at Clemson, while adding 339 yards on the ground.

Sammy was the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft by the Buffalo Bills, back before the Bills became what they are today.

After catching 153 passes across three seasons in Buffalo, Watkins was dealt the L.A. Rams, where he played for a season before moving on the Kansas City for three years (2020 Super Bowl Champs), the Baltimore Ravens for 2021 and now the Green Bay Packers in 2022.

At least one current Packer is thrilled to have Sammy on his team.

Though it may be hard for many of us to believe, Watkins is nearing the end of his time in the NFL as he will be 29 years old in June and has dealt with a myriad of injuries over the years.

It’s difficult to imagine with his age and injury history, more than another year or two in the NFL, given the physical nature of the league.

For his professional career, Watkins has 348 receptions for 5,059 yards and 34 touchdowns.

While those numbers don’t jump out at you, this one does: Watkins has made over $67,000,000 in the league to date and that’s not counting the latest contract with the Packers, which is expected to pay him up to $4,000,000.

Rodgers, of course, was a third round draft pick (85th overall) of the Packers in 2021 and finished his rookie season with 4 receptions for 45 yards, but spent most of his time on special teams where he returned 11 kickoffs for 199 yards and 20 punts for 166 yards.

While Sammy is locked in at Green Bay for 2021, this time next year he’ll be an unrestricted free agent wide receiver approaching 30 years old with a large salary request and spotty health history.