Sammy Watkins on Kansas City: 'This is My Happy Place'

Wide receiver Sammy Watkins doesn't appear to hold any grudge against the Kansas City Chiefs, despite recent comments suggesting conflict if he does not reach at least 100 targets in 2020.

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins recalls being standoffish and quiet around teammates like wide receiver Tyreek Hill or tight end Travis Kelce after signing a three-year deal in 2018.

Some of the same feelings were discussed in a conversation with Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report for a story back in March.

During the interview, Watkins threatened World War III against the Chiefs if he wasn’t targeted at least 100 times in 2020. The comments weren’t published until after Watkins and Kansas City had renegotiated the final year of his original contract.

During a virtual press conference on Sunday, Watkins said the statements were out of deep thought. He added he’s ready to move on and play team-oriented football.

“I think any player or receiver wants to go out there and do well and score touchdowns, or catch as many balls as you possibly can, and get the yards,” Watkins said. “As myself, I want those types of things. Do I have to be mad at the guys also going out and getting it? No. I love my guys. I love to see guys be out there balling. It’s my duty to serve them as well as they serve me. As a receiver, of course, I want more balls, but that’s not my focus. My focus is on the win and going out there and having fun.”

Since coming to Kansas City, Watkins has been third in individual receiving yards behind Kelce and Hill each season.

Kansas City Chiefs Regular Season Receiving Leaders	2018	2019
Tyreek Hill	1,479 (16 games)	860 (12 games)
Travis Kelce	1,336 (16 games)	1,229 (16 games)
Sammy Watkins	519 (10 games)	673 (14 games)

He was targeted 90 times during the 2019 regular season, the third-most of his seven-year career. His top two receiving seasons occurred with the Buffalo Bills, both set in losing years. 

Sammy Watkins Receiving Stats by Regular Season
Year	Team	Games	Targets	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
2014	Buffalo Bills	16	128	65	982	6
2015	Buffalo Bills	13	96	60	1,047	9
2016	Buffalo Bills	8	52	28	430	2
2017	Los Angeles Rams	15	70	39	593	8
2018	Kansas City Chiefs	10	55	40	519	3
2019	Kansas City Chiefs	14	90	52	673	3

Watkins said the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV win gave him the chance to evaluate his options before agreeing to a $5 million pay cut to guarantee he’ll remain with a well-established franchise.

“Why wouldn’t I come back to one of the best organizations and best teams,” Watkins said. “We just won the Super Bowl. If you look at the team, we haven’t lost [many] players who were active last year. My job and focus were to come back and try to win another Super Bowl.”

Watkins said his one-year, incentive-laden deal was a key part of keeping the group together — a group that he says he found happiness and camaraderie within.

“This is my happy place, so why not take a smaller contract and come out here and play with the guys that I’ve been playing with," Watkins said. 

“When I got in, those were the group of guys that were very knit close and I was just the guy that was kind of stand-offish quiet. Once I got here, those guys made me feel young, they made me dance, they made me pop jokes and little stuff like that. It kind of made me open up and it’s good to have a group of guys in the locker room to help you be yourself more."