FILE PHOTO: NFL Football – Super Bowl LIV – Kansas City Chiefs v San Francisco 49ers – Hard Rock Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S. – February 2, 2020. Kansas City Chiefs’ Sammy Watkins celebrates after the game. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo
Sammy Watkins restructured his contract to receive $7 million of the $16 million he’s owed from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020 as incentives.
According to multiple reports, Watkins helped create $5 million in salary-cap space for the Chiefs, who had $171 left under the cap before the move.
“I’m back KC LETS GET IT ..! #RUNITBACKTOUR” Watkins wrote via Twitter.
The deal also adds a no-trade clause, according to ESPN.
Watkins, 26, signed with the Chiefs in free agency in March 2018 with a $21 million signing bonus as part of a three-year, $48 million contract.
With several other priorities on the roster for the Chiefs, Watkins’ contract had to be addressed this offseason for him to return.
He publicly contemplated a “break” from football after making $34 million in the first two years of the deal but decided to return as primarily a third option for quarterback Patrick Mahomes behind receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.
In 76 games, he has 284 receptions for 4,244 yards and 31 touchdowns. He was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.
—Field Level Media
