As expected, Sammy Watkins Packers deal heavy on incentives

When news initially broke that the Packers would be signing free agent wide receiver Sammy Watkins, the general reporting was that the Packers and Watkins had a deal that was worth “up to $4 million.”

Anyone who’s been watching how the media game is played over the years knew immediately that the actual nuts and bolts numbers of the deal would undoubtedly be significantly less.

Sure enough, per my old colleague Ryan Wood:

Sammy Watkins’ deal is worth up to $4M based on incentives for playtime, catches, yards and TDs.

Playtime:
55% = $150K
60% = $350K
65% = $525K

Catches:
50 = $150K
60 = $350K
70 = $525K

Yards:
550 = $150K
650 = $350K
700 = $525K

TDs
7 = $150K
8 = $350K
9 = $575K

— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) April 19, 2022

That, ladies and gentleman, is what we call “a steal.”