Sammy Watkins

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
Sammy Watkins (American football)
)

Sammy Watkins
refer to caption
Watkins with the Buffalo Bills in 2015
Personal information
Born: (1993-06-14) June 14, 1993 (age 30)
Fort Myers, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school:South Fort Myers
College:Clemson (2011–2013)
Position:Wide receiver
NFL draft:2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
touchdowns:
34
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Samuel Benjamin Watkins (born June 14, 1993) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football for the Clemson Tigers, twice earning first-team All-American honors. Watkins was selected by the Buffalo Bills fourth overall in the 2014 NFL draft. He has also played for the Los Angeles Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and Green Bay Packers. Watkins became a Super Bowl champion as a member of the Chiefs.

Early years

Watkins attended

U.S. Army All-American Bowl.[4]

In addition to football, Watkins ran track & field for the Wolfpack, where he was one of the state's top performers in the sprinting events. As a junior, he finished fifth in the

200 meters at the state meet. As a senior, he captured the AA state title in the 200 meters, with a PR of 21.11 seconds.[5] He also won the 100 meters at the 2011 Tarpon Invitational, recording a personal-best time of 10.45 seconds.[6]

Watkins was a highly touted recruit before the 2011

George Farmer and Trey Metoyer.[8] He was ranked fifth best by Scout.com.[9] Watkins committed to Clemson University in November 2010.[10] Recruited by dozens of schools, he chose Clemson over offers from Florida, Florida State, Miami (FL), Michigan, and Tennessee.[11]

College career

Maryland Terrapins

Even though he didn't take part in spring practice, Watkins made an immediate impact for Clemson in his freshman season in

all-purpose yards and touchdowns.[13] He also broke 11 school freshman records seven games into the season, including total all-purpose yards previously held by C. J. Spiller.[13] Watkins was an Associated Press first-team All-American, becoming only the fourth ever true freshman to do so, joining Herschel Walker, Marshall Faulk and Adrian Peterson.[14] He was also named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.[15]

As a sophomore in 2012, he had 57 receptions for 708 yards and three touchdowns.

Ohio State Buckeyes.[18][19][20] He also set the school record for career receptions in the game finishing with 240.[21]

In January 2014, Watkins announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL draft.[22]

College statistics

Clemson Tigers
Season Team GP Receiving Rushing
Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds Avg TD
2011 Clemson 13 82 1,219 14.9 12 32 231 7.2 0
2012 Clemson 10 57 708 12.4 3 14 97 6.9 1
2013 Clemson 13 101 1,464 14.5 12 6 11 1.8 0
Career 36 240 3,391 14.1 27 52 339 6.5 1
Source: sports-reference.com

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split
20-yard shuttle
Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+34 in
(1.85 m)
211 lb
(96 kg)
32 in
(0.81 m)
9+58 in
(0.24 m)
4.43 s 1.54 s 2.52 s 4.34 s 6.95 s 34 in
(0.86 m)
10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)
16 reps
All values from
NFL Combine[23]

Buffalo Bills

2014 season

Watkins was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round as the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.[24] Cleveland traded this selection to Buffalo in exchange for Buffalo's 2014 first round selection (the 9th pick, later traded by Cleveland to Minnesota, who used it to select UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr), and their first and fourth round selections in 2015 (19th Cameron Erving C & 115th Ibraheim Campbell S)[25] He was the first wide receiver selected by the Bills in the first round since Lee Evans in 2004, and the earliest wide receiver selected in the draft since A. J. Green in 2011.[26]

On May 28, 2014, Watkins signed his rookie contract, a fully guaranteed four-year deal worth $19.94 million, with a $12.8 million signing bonus.[27] He caught his first career touchdown reception from EJ Manuel in a Week 2 29–10 victory over the Miami Dolphins.[28] In Week 7 against the Minnesota Vikings, Watkins caught nine passes for 122 yards for two touchdowns. His second touchdown was the game winner coming with one second remaining in the game.[29]

Watkins finished his season setting a new Bills rookie record in both receptions (65) and receiving yards (982).[30] In addition to his rookie records, Watkins caught six touchdown passes.[31]

2015 season

Watkins with the Bills in 2015
Watkins catching a pass in 2015

Through the first five games of the 2015 season, Watkins (who played in only three of the games because of a calf injury) had just seven catches for 99 yards. He voiced his frustration before game 6, saying "You came up to draft me and I'm not getting targets – that's a problem. You're making me look bad and you're making yourself look bad.... "Why not make both of us look good?"[32]

On October 27, 2015, frustrated with his social media followers for leaving angry comments about him missing three games due to injury, Watkins took to his Instagram and lashed out at critical fans. In a comment which Watkins later deleted, he told the fans to "get a life and go to work" and "continue working y'all little jobs for the rest of y'all lives".[33] This caused an uproar with many Bills fans.[34] Watkins followed up, with a clarification posted on Twitter stating, "Message wasn't for fans (but) for whomever have a problem with athletes being injured."[33] Watkins later posted another Instagram photo addressing the situation, saying his comments were "inappropriate" and acknowledged that a majority of the negative comments were from other fans and not Bills fans.[35]

Playing on an injured ankle that had kept him out of a Friday practice, Watkins had a career-high 168 receiving yards on eight catches with one touchdown in a Week 9 33–17 victory over the Dolphins.[36]

In his first seven games of the season, he caught only 25 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns, while only having one 100-yard receiving game. In his final six games, however, he had 679 receiving yards on 35 catches (19.4 yards per catch), six touchdowns, and four 100-yard receiving games. He also had at least 80 yards receiving in all six games. With his late season push, Watkins finished the season with 60 catches for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns receptions. He recorded five 100-yard receiving games and set his career-high in receiving yards and touchdowns.[37] However, the Bills finished the season 8–8 and did not make the playoffs.[38] He was ranked 96th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[39]

2016 season

On May 16, 2016, it was reported that Watkins had broken a small bone in his foot. Watkins had a screw inserted in his foot, and the Bills medical staff was hopeful that would be ready for training camp.[40] On September 30, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve.[41] He was activated off injured reserve on November 26, 2016, prior to Week 12.[42] Watkins finished the 2016 season with 28 receptions for 430 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[43]

On May 2, 2017, the Bills declined Watkins' fifth-year option.[44]

Los Angeles Rams

On August 11, 2017, Watkins, along with a 2018 sixth-round draft pick, was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for E. J. Gaines and a 2018 second round draft pick.[45] Watkins recorded his first touchdown of the season with 106 yards against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3 with a stunning catch for the Rams 41–39 victory.[46] In Week 9, Watkins caught a season-long 67-yard reception from Jared Goff that resulted in a touchdown as part of the 51–17 blowout win by the Rams over the New York Giants.[47] Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 39 receptions for 593 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns.[48]

Kansas City Chiefs

On March 15, 2018, Watkins signed a three-year, $48 million contract with the

AFC Championship overtime loss to the New England Patriots, he had four receptions for 114 yards.[56]

On September 8, 2019, Watkins recorded nine receptions for a career-high 198 yards and three touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars as the Chiefs won 40–26 in Week 1.[57] For the remainder of the regular season, Watkins averaged 36.5 receiving yards per game and had no touchdowns. Overall, in 14 games, Watkins finished the 2019 season with 52 receptions for 673 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[58] In the AFC Championship against the Tennessee Titans, he had seven receptions for 114 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 35–24 victory.[59] In Super Bowl LIV against the 49ers, Watkins caught five passes for 98 yards, including a 38-yard catch on what proved to be the game-winning drive, during the 31–20 win.[60]

In Week 16 against the Atlanta Falcons, Watkins threw an interception to safety Keanu Neal on a trick play during the 17–14 win.[61] Watkins finished the 2020 season with 37 receptions for 421 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[62]

Baltimore Ravens (first stint)

On April 2, 2021, Watkins signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens.[63][64] His best game of the season came in Week 1 when he had four receptions for 96 yards in a 33–27 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.[65] He missed Weeks 6–10 during the season due to injury. He scored his only touchdown during a Week 13 20–19 loss to the Steelers.[66] The touchdown reception would be his final catch of the season. He missed the Week 15 game against the Green Bay Packers due to being placed in the COVID-19 protocol.[67] He finished the year with 27 receptions for 394 yards and a touchdown.[68]

Green Bay Packers

On April 14, 2022, Watkins signed a one-year $4 million contract with the Packers.[69] On September 24, 2022, Watkins was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.[70] He was activated off injured reserve on October 22.[71] He was released on December 19, 2022.[72]

Baltimore Ravens (second stint)

On December 20, 2022, Watkins was claimed off waivers by the Ravens following the loss of Devin Duvernay.[73]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2014 BUF 16 16 65 982 15.1 84 6 1 1
2015 BUF 13 13 60 1,047 17.5 63 9 0 0
2016 BUF 8 8 28 430 15.4 62 2 0 0
2017 LAR 15 14 39 593 15.2 67 8 0 0
2018 KC 10 9 40 519 13.0 50 3 1 0
2019 KC 14 13 52 673 12.9 68T 3 2 1
2020 KC 10 9 37 421 11.4 37 2 1 1
2021 BAL 13 9 27 394 14.6 49 1 1 1
2022 GB 9 3 13 206 15.8 55 0 0 0
BAL 3 2 3 119 39.7 47 0 1 1
Career 111 96 364 5,384 14.8 84 34 7 5

Postseason

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2017
LAR
1 1 1 23 23.0 23 0 0 0
2018 KC 2 2 10 176 17.6 54 0 1 1
2019 KC 3 3 14 288 20.6 60 1 0 0
2020 KC 1 0 1 13 13.0 13 0 0 0
2022 BAL 1 1 1 12 12.0 12 0 0 0
Career 8 7 27 512 19.0 60 1 1 1

Personal life

In a pre-draft interview, Watkins said that his favorite football team, as a child, was the Buffalo Bills.

Vyvanse and Adderall and charged with possession of a controlled substance. As a result, Watkins was suspended for the first two games of the 2012–2013 season.[75]
Watkins completed pre-trial intervention and had the charge expunged from his record.

His older half brother,

On July 11, 2014, Watkins was awarded the Key to the City of Fort Myers, the town in which he grew up.[79]

In September 2017, Lindsey Thiry of the Los Angeles Times reported that Watkins believes the Earth is flat.[80]

In a May 2020 interview with Bleacher Report, Watkins opened up about his struggles with mental health and addiction throughout his career, in addition to his spiritual beliefs.[81]

References

  1. ^ Handel, Craig (March 13, 2018). "Fort Myers product Sammy Watkins agrees to reported $48 million deal with Kansas City Chiefs". The News-Press. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Graham, Tim (September 4, 2016). "Sammy Watkins' great escape". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on December 20, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "Uncharacteristic mistakes doom South Fort Myers in state semis". Naples News. December 11, 2010. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  4. ^ Johnson, Kevin (December 11, 2010). "Prep football: South's Watkins picked for Army All-American Bowl". archive.naplesnews.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  5. ^ "Sammy Watkins".
  6. ^ "Tarpon Invitational – Complete Results (Raw)". MileSplit. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  7. ^ Reynolds, Tim (February 2, 2011). "National Signing Day – ACC: Scott is 1st to send signed letter to Miami". The Brownsville Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  8. ^ "Sammy Watkins, 2011 Wide Receiver". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  9. ^ "Sammy Watkins, South Fort Myers , Wide Receiver". 247Sports. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  10. ^ Hayes, Chris (November 23, 2010). "South Fort Myers WR Sammy Watkins commits to Clemson". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  11. ^ a b Hass, Bill (September 22, 2011). "Bill Hass on the ACC: True Freshman Sammy Watkins Gives Clemson a Burst". theACC.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  12. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2011 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Dinich, Heather (October 19, 2011). "Clemson's Sammy Watkins plays above age". ESPN. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  14. ^ Wine, Steven (January 3, 2012). "Clemson freshman receiver Sammy Watkins has West Virginia worried". Salt Lake Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  15. ^ Griffith, Mike (January 9, 2012). "FWAA names 2011 Freshman All-America Team". FWAA. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  16. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2012 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  17. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2013 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  18. ^ Wood, Ryan (January 4, 2014). "Watkins has record-breaking performance in Orange Bowl". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  19. ^ "Watkins named MVP as Clemson prevails". The News-Press. January 4, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  20. ^ Huguenin, Mike (January 3, 2014). "Clemson's Sammy Watkins has record night in Orange Bowl". National Football League. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  21. ^ "Clemson Tigers Receiving". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  22. ^ "Clemson WR Watkins leaving early for draft". ESPN. Associated Press. January 5, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  23. ^ "Sammy Watkins Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". National Football League. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  24. ^ "2014 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  25. ^ Patra, Kevin (May 8, 2014). "Bills grab Sammy Watkins after trading up to No. 4". National Football League. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  26. ^ "Buffalo Bills All-Time Draft History". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  27. ^ Patra, Kevin (May 28, 2014). "Sammy Watkins, Buffalo Bills strike rookie deal". National Football League. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  28. ^ "Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills – September 14th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  29. ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Buffalo Bills – October 19th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  30. ^ Crumpton, Tony (December 15, 2014). "Sammy Watkins sets Bills' rookie record". Tiger Net. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  31. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2014 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  32. ^ Dunne, Tyler (October 15, 2015). "Sammy Watkins speaks up: 'When I have one-on-one coverage, go to me'". Buffalo Bills. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015.
  33. ^ a b "Bills' Watkins to fans: 'Continue working y'all little jobs for the rest of y'all lives'". The Guardian. October 28, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  34. ^ Schwartz, Nick (October 28, 2015). "Sammy Watkins lashes out at critical fans on Instagram". USA Today. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  35. ^ Braziller, Zach (October 28, 2015). "Bills' Sammy Watkins blasts 'loser' fans doubting his health". New York Post. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  36. ^ Hanzus, Dan (November 8, 2015). "Sammy Watkins' career day turns around Bills' frustrating Sunday". ESPN. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  37. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2015 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  38. ^ "2015 Buffalo Bills Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  39. ^ "2016 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. National Football League. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  40. ^ Schwab, Frank (May 16, 2016). "Bills WR Sammy Watkins dealing with yet another injury". Yahoo!. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  41. ^ Brown, Chris (September 30, 2016). "Bills place Watkins on I-R; sign WR Hunter". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  42. ^ Brown, Chris (November 26, 2016). "Sammy Watkins added to active roster; Expected to play Sunday". BuffaloBills.com.
  43. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  44. ^ Patra, Kevin (May 2, 2017). "Bills decline to pick up Sammy Watkins' option". National Football League. Retrieved May 2, 2017.
  45. ^ Sessler, Marc (August 11, 2017). "Bills trade Sammy Watkins to Rams, acquire Matthews". National Football League. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  46. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – September 21st, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  47. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at New York Giants – November 5th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  48. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  49. ^ Patra, Kevin (March 14, 2018). "Sammy Watkins' Chiefs deal has $21M signing bonus". National Football League. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  50. ^ "Chiefs Sign Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins". Chiefs.com. March 15, 2018. Archived from the original on May 19, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
  51. ^ Dixon, John (September 9, 2018). "Chiefs beat Chargers 38–28 in season opener". Arrowhead Pride. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  52. ^ Pryor, Brooke (September 17, 2018). "With 100-yard game, Sammy Watkins is starting to catch on to Andy Reid's system". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  53. ^ Pryor, Brooke (October 28, 2018). "Sammy Watkins' big afternoon spurs Chiefs to 30–23 victory against Denver Broncos". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  54. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  55. ^ "Divisional Round – Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs – January 12th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  56. ^ "AFC Championship – New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs – January 20th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  57. ^ "Ex-Bills LeSean McCoy, Sammy Watkins star in Chiefs' victory". The Buffalo News. September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  58. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  59. ^ "AFC Championship – Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs – January 19th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  60. ^ "Mahomes leads Chiefs' rally past 49ers in Super Bowl, 31–20". ESPN. Associated Press. February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  61. ^ "Atlanta Falcons at Kansas City Chiefs – December 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  62. ^ "Sammy Watkins 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  63. ^ Baca, Michael (March 26, 2021). "Ravens signing WR Sammy Watkins to one-year, $6 million deal". National Football League. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  64. ^ "2021 NFL Transactions: Signings – April". National Football League. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  65. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders – September 13th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  66. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers – December 5th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  67. ^ "Sammy Watkins Placed On Reserve/COVID-19 List". rotoballer.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  68. ^ "2021 Baltimore Ravens Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  69. ^ Demovsky, Rob (April 14, 2022). "Packers add veteran Watkins to receiving corps". ESPN. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  70. ^ "Packers sign RB Patrick Taylor to active roster". packers.com. September 24, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
  71. ^ "Packers announce roster moves & injury updates ahead of Washington game". packers.com. October 22, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  72. ^ "Packers sign RB Patrick Taylor to 53, release WR Sammy Watkins". packers.com. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
  73. ^ Mink, Ryan (December 20, 2022). "Ravens Claim Sammy Watkins, Place Devin Duvernay on IR". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  74. ^ Brenner, Aaron (May 8, 2014). "Clemson WR Sammy Watkins will play for his favorite team as a boy: the Buffalo Bills". Post and Courier. Archived from the original on May 13, 2014.
  75. ^ Shiro, Richard (August 3, 2012). "All-American Sammy Watkins suspended two games for arrest". USA Today. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  76. ^ Montoya, Melissa (February 4, 2014). "City of Fort Myers may honor Super Bowl champions Jaylen and Sammy Watkins by renaming streets". The News-Press. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  77. ^ Brown, Chris (April 27, 2016). "Watkins embracing leadership role". Buffalo Bills. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  78. ^ "Austin Watkins Jr. UAB Football Profile". UAB Sports. August 11, 2023.
  79. ^ Handel, Craig (July 10, 2014). "Fort Myers to award Sammy Watkins key to the city". News-Press.com. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  80. ^ Rapaport, Daniel (September 20, 2017). "Sammy Watkins believes the Earth is flat". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
  81. ^ Dunne, Tyler (May 12, 2020). "What Sammy Watkins Believes". Bleacher Report. Retrieved May 13, 2020.

External links