Typically, when a player returns from an ACL tear, it takes them a full year or longer to get back to full strength and full speed. Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson tore his ACL this calendar year, and incredibly has looked like his old self since returning in Week 8.

That Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst signed Watson to a one-year extension for $13.25 million exhibits an enormous amount of faith and shrewdness. Additionally, in doing so, the GM kept one of the team’s most dangerous offensive weapons in town for an extra season. This not only has given Watson a chance to prove himself full-go, and without immediate contract concerns, but it also functions as a sort of good-faith gesture.

When it comes time to negotiate a longer extension – and based on what we’ve seen the past two weeks, that is in the offing – that gesture of loyalty can’t hurt the Packers’ chances.

And what we’re watching is nothing short of amazing on Watson’s part. He is able to accelerate almost as if he was never injured, hitting 21.6 mph on his 41-yard scoring reception last Sunday against the Chicago Bears, tops in the league for Week 14.

In an offense designed to spread the ball around, Watson has checked in with three games of 80 yards receiving or more, to go with five touchdowns and 25 catches in seven games since his return from IR. In the process, Watson appears to be emerging as quarterback Jordan Love’s favorite target.

It’s perhaps not a coincidence that the Packers enter Week 15 on a four-game winning streak and that the offense looks like the unit Packers fans expected coming into 2025.

With the return of Jayden Reed – and hopefully Matthew Golden and Savion Williams soon – Green Bay’s passing offense could very well be peaking at just the right time as the season bears down on the playoffs. Certainly, Watson has brought back the downfield shots that Love relishes.

Moreover, it’s impossible not to root for the grounded young Watson as he Lambeau Leaps his way back into fans' hearts week by week. His head coach certainly does.

“I’m just really proud of how he is,” head coach Matt LaFleur told the media this week. “What happened a year ago versus the Chicago Bears and how he’s responded and how he’s worked to get him into a spot now where you go out and you see what he can do. Got a lot of love and a lot of respect for Christian Watson.” 

That Watson is not only back and performing as if he were never injured in the first place, I go back to the obvious conclusion that Gutekunst, Packers coaches and staff monitored Watson’s progress closely. And while it’s fair at this point to criticize the team’s two off-season free-agent signings in defensive back Nate Hobbs and guard Aaron Banks, when it came to Watson, it sure looks like Gute knew something the rest of us did not. And he acted on it.

It will be fascinating to see how it plays out down the stretch. Meanwhile, Gutekunst will continue moving his chess pieces decisively and strategically.