By Matt McCarthy, 985TheSportsHub.com
Ben Watson was a surprise cut once this season, but it seems unlikely that the Patriots will move on from the veteran tight end again based on his new contract.
According to Mike Reiss of ESPN, the Patriots have fully guaranteed a large chunk of Watson’s new deal.
Contract note: TE Benjamin Watson re-signed to a one-year deal with a base salary of $1.236 million, of which $800k is guaranteed. There is also a chance for Watson to earn $200k in playing time incentives. The $800k guarantee provides Watson some assurance he is in team's plans.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 17, 2019
While the specific details of the playing time incentives aren’t known, Watson should have a chance to earn snaps at a position where the Patriots have struggled to get production for the first six weeks of the season. Matt Lacosse is dealing with a knee injury and Ryan Izzo has done little to prove that he’s the full-time answer at tight end.
The Pats ended up saving about $1 million in cap space by cutting Watson and re-signing him a week later, according to Miguel Benzan of Boston Sports Journal.
Before his release Watson’s cap number was over $2.6M. His current total on the Patriots ledger is $1.54M so Pats saved over a million in cap space by cutting Watson and re-signing him. https://t.co/GfsC04rBQr
— Cap Space=$2,876,787 (@patscap) October 17, 2019
The 38-year-old Watson missed the first four weeks of the season due to suspension. He dealt with a concussion after taking a hit from Panthers safety Eric Reid in the preseason.
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