Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur confirmed wide receiver Christian Watson will miss the rest of the 2024 season with a sedate knee injury, as several media outlets previously reported on Monday.
“Yes, it’s not good. He will be out for the rest of the year,” LaFleur said Monday afternoon in Green Bay.
LaFleur also confirmed that the injury is a torn ACL in Watson’s right knee.
Watson was injured on a non-contact play in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Chicago Bears. He fell while running on a vertical route, experienced severe pain on the pitch and ultimately had to be carried from the sideline to the locker room.
Watson, who worked diligently last offseason to repair recurring hamstring injuries, now faces a grueling recovery from one of the worst injuries in sports.
“I suffer because of him. I suffer for our team, but more for him. Just because I know how much he put into it. You never want to see that. This is an unfortunate element of our game. But like I told him, I know he will attack the right way. He will cope with adversity. It’s just going to be a bumpy road for him and I think he’ll come back better. This is how it is built, this is how it is connected. It will be fine, it’s only in the future.”
LaFleur said Watson wanted to play in the season finale after participating in a confined practice on Friday. He was expected to count snaps against the Bears, but was injured on the tenth snap against the Bears.
The loss of Watson deprives the Packers of a versatile and athletic quarterback ahead of Sunday’s playoff opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“It’s a great loss. Just his presence on the field,” LaFleur said. “He is extremely versatile because he can play in many positions. You can place it in X, F, Z. You can move it anywhere. He has an element, in terms of size and speed, that is complex to replicate. There are few in the league built like him.
Watson, a 2022 draft pick, will enter the final year of his rookie contract next season.
In related news, LaFleur said receiver Romeo Doubs returned to the building on Monday after missing Sunday’s season finale against the Bears due to illness.
“I feel better,” LaFleur said.
