Packers’ Matt LaFleur Discusses Christian Watson’s Return From Major Knee Injury

Christian Watson is easily one of the Green Bay Packers’ most dangerous weapons on offense. Not many wide receivers his size can move as fast as he does. On top of that, he always gives full effort as a blocker in the running game, whether he is getting targets or not.

The biggest concern surrounding Watson, however, is his reliability. He has missed 13 games over his three-year career with Green Bay and will likely miss the first half of the 2025 season due to a torn ACL he suffered in the final week of the 2024 regular season against the Chicago Bears.

Following Thursday’s final mandatory minicamp practice, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was questioned about whether Watson’s mobility during the session offered any optimism for a sooner-than-expected return. 

"Probably not, to be honest," LaFleur admitted.

"The guys that are available, that's who you coach and that's kind of where you focus," he added. "It is exciting to see how far along he is, he's been doing a great job, he attacks it the right way. Our trainers have done an outstanding job with him. I think he's in the best spot possible considering the circumstance."

Christian Watson will enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2025 and is on track to be an unrestricted free agent at the start of the 2026 league year. The Packers will soon face a difficult decision about his future. Given his injury history, it is possible they could re-sign him to a team-friendly deal, as not many teams may be willing to offer top-market money. Still, when healthy, Watson is one of the most versatile and explosive players in the entire league.

The sooner Watson can return to the field, the better Green Bay’s chances of making a successful Super Bowl run. However, given their historically cautious approach to bringing players back from injury, it is reasonable to expect they will take a conservative route when managing his recovery and future.