Benjamin Seth Watson (born December 18, 1980) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Lik ...

. He was drafted by the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

32nd overall in the first round of the

2004 NFL Draft The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at ...

and won

Super Bowl XXXIX Super Bowl XXXIX was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League ...

with the Patriots over the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

in his rookie year. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are r ...

and

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Watson has also played for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conferenc ...

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

, and

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

Early years

Watson was born in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

. He attended Northwestern High School in

Rock Hill, South Carolina Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...

, and was a letterman in football and track. In football, as a senior, he caught 31 passes for 515 yards. The two-time All-Region selection and Northwestern HS Student of the Year led his team to the state championship in his junior season. He was also a member of his high school chapter of The

Fellowship of Christian Athletes The Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) is an international non-profit Christian sports ministry founded in 1954 and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It has staff offices located throughout the United States and abroad. History FCA was foun ...

. In

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, Watson was a standout sprinter, recording personal-best times of 22.37 seconds in the

200 meters The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

and 50.03 seconds in the

400 meters The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is ...

College career

Watson played football at

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...

prior to transferring to the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

where he majored in

finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of f ...

. In 3 seasons at Georgia, he had 65 catches for 852 yards and 6 TD.

Professional career

Watson attended the NFL combine and completed all of the combine and positional drills. He scored a 48 on the

Wonderlic test The Wonderlic Contemporary Cognitive Ability Test (formerly Wonderlic Personnel Test) is an assessment used to measure the cognitive ability and problem-solving aptitude of prospective employees for a range of occupations. It is a proprietary ...

, tying for the third highest score of any player in league history. On March 18, 2004, Watson participated at Georgia's pro day, but chose to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills and the 40-yard dash. Team representatives and scouts from every team attended, including head coaches Mike Sherman (Packers) and

Butch Davis Paul Hilton "Butch" Davis Jr. (born November 17, 1951) is an American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at Florida International University. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, he became an assistant co ...

(Browns). His overall performance impressed scouts and solidified his position as a top tight end in the draft. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Watson was projected to a second round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the third best tight end prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com. The

selected Watson in the first round (32nd overall) of the

. Watson was the second tight end drafted in 2004, after Miami's

Kellen Winslow II Kellen Boswell Winslow II (born July 21, 1983) is an American former professional football player and a convicted sex offender. He was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) and played college football at the University of Miami, wh ...

(seventh overall).

2004 season: Rookie year

Watson held out of training camp and missed 18 days due to a contract dispute. On August 14, 2004, Watson fired his agent Tom Condon, but was contractually obligated to retain

IMG img or IMG is an abbreviation for image. img or IMG may also refer to: * IMG (company), global sports and media business headquartered in New York City but with its main offices in Cleveland, originally known as the "International Management Group ...

as his representative. On August 16, 2004, the New England Patriots signed Watson to a six-year, $13.50 million

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $3.81 million. Throughout training camp, Watson competed against

Daniel Graham Daniel Lawrence Graham (born November 16, 1978) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Colorado, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was ...

to be the starting tight end. Head coach

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

officially named Watson the starting tight end to begin the regular season in 2004. He made his NFL debut and first start in the Patriots' season-opener against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

and caught two passes for 16 yards in their 27-24 win, but was inactive for the Patriots' Week 2 win at the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play th ...

and was placed on injured reserve for the rest of the season due to a knee injury. During his absence, the New England Patriots finished first in the

AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the division: the Buf ...

with a 14–2 record and reached the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the gam ...

after defeating the Colts 20–3 in the AFC Divisional Round and the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

41–27 in the AFC Championship Game. Watson received a

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...

after the Patriots defeated the

24–21 in

2005 season

Watson returned as the Patriots' primary starting tight end in 2005. On October 9, 2005, Watson scored his first NFL touchdown off of a 33-yard pass by quarterback

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...

as the Patriots defeated the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcon ...

31–28 in Week 5. In Week 11, he caught a season-high four passes for 66 receiving yards during a 24–17 victory against the

. On December 11, 2005, Watson caught three passes for 35-yards before exiting in the fourth quarter of the Patriots' 35–7 victory at the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

after suffering a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration ...

. He remained inactive for their Week 15 victory against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

. Watson finished the 2005 season with 29 receptions, 441 receiving yards, and four touchdown receptions in 15 games and nine starts. The Patriots finished the 2005 season atop the AFC East with a 10–6 record and qualified for the playoffs. On January 7, 2006, Watson started his first career playoff game and recorded five receptions for 91 yards and scored on a 63-yard touchdown reception as the Patriots defeated the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

in the AFC Wildcard Game. The following week, they were eliminated during a 27–13 loss at the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

in the AFC Divisional Round. During the game, Watson ran the distance of the football field to catch and tackle

Champ Bailey Roland "Champ" Bailey Jr. (born June 22, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he earned consensus All-Am ...

at the Broncos' one-yard line after an interception in the Patriots' end zone, preventing a touchdown. The play has been called "one of the greatest forgotten plays in Patriots history."

2006 season

Watson entered the season as the Patriots’ starting tight end. On October 30, 2006, Watson caught a season-high seven passes for 95-yards and a touchdown during a 31–7 win at the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

in Week 8. In Week 14, he sustained a knee injury during a 21–0 loss at the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

and was sidelined for the last three games of the season (Weeks 15–17). He finished the 2006 season with 49 receptions for 643 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 13 regular season games and 13 starts. The Patriots finished first in the AFC East with a 12–4 record and reached the AFC Championship before losing at the

38–34. During that game, Watson caught five passes for 48 yards, his best performance of the playoffs.

2007 season

Watson remained the primary starting tight end for the Patriots in 2007. On October 7, 2007, Watson caught six passes for a season-high 107 receiving yards and two touchdowns during a 34–17 win against the

in Week 5. This became Watson's first multi-touchdown performance and first game with over 100 receiving yards. Watson sustained an ankle injury and was inactive for two games (Weeks 7–8). During his absence he was replaced by

Kyle Brady Kyle or Kyles may refer to: Places Canada * Kyle, Saskatchewan, Canada Ireland * Kyle, County Laois * Kyle, County Wexford Scotland * Kyle, Ayrshire, area of Scotland which stretched across parts of modern-day East Ayrshire and South Ayrsh ...

. Watson was active for another two games (Weeks 15–16) after aggravating his sprained ankle. Watson finished the 2007 season with 38 receptions for 389 receiving yards and a career-high six touchdown receptions. The Patriots finished atop the AFC with a 16–0 record. On January 12, 2008, Watson caught two passes for 12-yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' 31–20 win against

in the AFC Divisional Round. They reached the Super Bowl after defeating the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

21–12 in the AFC Championship Game. On February 2, 2008, Watson started in

Super Bowl XLII Super Bowl XLII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

, but was held without a reception as the Patriots lost 17–14 to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

2008 season

Watson again started at tight end for the Patriots in 2008. Watson sustained a knee injury during the preseason and was sidelined for the first two regular season games (Weeks 1–2). On November 13, 2008, Watson caught a season-high eight receptions for 88-yards and a touchdown during the Patriots' 34–31 loss to the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The ...

in Week 11. Watson finished the season with 22 receptions, 229 receiving yards, and 2 touchdowns in 14 games and nine starts. Watson's performance was limited, in part, due to an injury to Tom Brady that sidelined him for the entire season. With Brady sidelined with a torn ACL, the Patriots started backup

Matt Cassel Matthew Brennan Cassel (born May 17, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. A member of seven NFL teams, Cassel's most notable stints were with the New England Patriots ...

and finished with an 11–5 record, but did not qualify for the playoffs.

2009 season

Watson retained his role as the primary Patriots tight end and became the only returning tight end after the Patriots released David Thomas and signed free agents Chris Baker and Michael Matthews. He started the Patriots' season-opener against the

and recorded a season-high six receptions for 77-yards and caught two touchdown passes during a 25–24 victory. He finished the 2009 season with 29 receptions for 404 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 16 games and seven starts. The Patriots finished atop the AFC East with a 10–6 record but lost in the first round of the playoffs, 33–14 to the

. Watson became an unrestricted free agent for the first time in 2010. On March 12, 2010, the

signed Watson to a three-year, $12 million contract with $6.35 million guaranteed. He was reunited with Cleveland Browns' head coach

Eric Mangini Eric Anthony Mangini (born January 19, 1971) is a former American football coach and current television sports analyst. Mangini had been with the San Francisco 49ers since 2013 and served as the team's tight ends coach for two seasons before b ...

and offensive coordinator

Brian Daboll Brian Michael Daboll (; born April 14, 1975) is a Canadian-born American football coach who is the head coach of the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Brown ...

. Mangini had been the Patriots' defensive coordinator in 2006 and Daboll had been their wide receiver coach from 2002-2006.

2010 season

Watson started for the Browns throughout the 2010 season. On September 26, 2010, Watson caught five passes for 47-yards and scored his first touchdown as a member of the Browns during a 24–17 loss at the

. On December 5, 2010, Watson recorded a season-high ten receptions for 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Browns' 13–10 win at the

in Week 13. It marked his first game with double-digit receptions. Watson started in all 16 games for the first time in his career in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and recorded 68 receptions for 763 receiving yards and three touchdown receptions. Watson led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and tied wide receiver

Brian Robiskie Brian Anthony Robiskie (born December 3, 1987) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Robiskie has also played f ...

for most receiving touchdowns.

2011 season

The Browns fired head coach

and his staff after the Browns finished with a 5–11 record in 2010. On July 30, 2011, Watson suffered a concussion after taking an inadvertent knee to the helmet during the Browns' first practice in training camp. Head coach Pat Shurmur retained Watson as the No. 1 starting tight end on the Browns' depth chart to begin the regular season. On September 25, 2011, he recorded five receptions for a season-high 64-yards during a 17–16 win against the

in Week 3. The following week, Watson caught a season-high six passes for 48 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Browns lost to the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

31–13. On October 23, 2011, Watson exited the Browns' 6–3 victory against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

at the beginning of the third quarter due to a

. In Week 14, he caught two passes for 11-yards, but suffered his third concussion of the season and exited in the second quarter of a 14–3 loss at the

. On December 16, 2011, the Cleveland Browns officially placed Watson on injured reserve, and he missed the remaining three games of the regular season after being evaluated by a head trauma specialist. Watson finished the 2011 season with a total of 37 receptions for 410 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 13 games and 11 starts.

2012 season

Watson started for the Browns throughout the 2012 season. In Week 11, Watson recorded four receptions for 47-yards and caught a season-high two touchdown passes in a 23–20 overtime loss at the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

. On December 2, 2012, he caught six passes for a season-high 80 receiving yards during a 20–17 win at the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Ra ...

in Week 13. In Week 17, he collected a season-high seven receptions for 64-yards as the Browns lost 24–10 at the

. Watson completed the 2012 season with 48 receptions for 501 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 16 games and 14 starts.

2013 season

On March 18, 2013, the

signed Watson to a three-year, $4.95 million contract with $1.80 guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.20 million. Watson entered the Saints training camp slated as a backup for the first time in his career. Playing behind

Jimmy Graham Jimmy Graham (born November 24, 1986) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played only one year of college football at University of Miami after playing four years of basketball. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in ...

, Watson caught his first touchdown as a member of the Saints in week four on a four-yard pass by quarterback

Drew Brees Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees i ...

during a 38–17 win against the

. On October 13, 2013, he collected three receptions for a season-high 61 receiving yards during a 30–27 loss at the

. He was inserted in the starting lineup against the Patriots due to an injury to Jimmy Graham. In Week 10, Watson sustained a

in the Saints' 49–17 win against the

. He remained inactive for their Week 11 victory against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

. Watson finished his first season with the Saints with 19 receptions for 226 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 15 games and seven starts.

2014 season

Watson returned as the Saints’ secondary receiving tight end option behind Jimmy Graham in 2014. On October 5, 2014, Watson recorded a season-high five receptions for 43-yards during a 37–31 victory against the

in Week 5. In Week 13, he caught a season-long 15-yard pass from Drew Brees in the Saints' 35–32 victory at the

. Watson finished the season with 20 receptions for 136 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 16 games and eight starts.

2015 season

Watson entered the Saints season as the starting tight end after the departure of Jimmy Graham. Entering the season, Watson was elected an offensive team captain. In Week 6, Watson caught ten passes for 127-yards and a touchdown during a 31–21 victory against the

. Writing about that game on

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 2 ...

, one columnist wrote, “it should forever be remembered as The Ben Watson Game, as the 12-year veteran did his best

impression with 10 catches and 127 yards and a touchdown. It was cool to watch one of the league's longtime good guys put up a random career game in his 12th season. On November 1, 2015, Watson recorded nine receptions for a season-high 147 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Saints' 52–49 win against the

in Week 8. Watson started in all 16 games in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

and caught a career-high 74 passes for 825 receiving yards and six touchdowns. At the conclusion of the 2015 season, Watson was recognized as one of three finalists (with Eli Manning and Anquan Boldin (winner)) for the

Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award is presented annually by the National Football League (NFL) honoring a player's commitment to philanthropy and community impact, as well as his excellence on the field. Prior to 1999, it was called s ...

, honoring a player's volunteer and charity work as well as excellence on the field, and was named an alternate to the Pro Bowl.

2016 season

On March 9, 2016, the

signed Watson to a two-year, $7 million contract with $3 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2 million. Throughout training camp, Watson competed to be the starting tight end against

Crockett Gilmore Crockett Allen Gillmore (born November 16, 1991) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado State. High school Gillmore atten ...

Dennis Pitta Dennis Gregory Pitta Jr. (born June 29, 1985) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at BYU, where he was a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. A ...

, and

Maxx Williams Maxx Williams (born April 12, 1994) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Minnesota and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. College career Williams was ...

. On August 27, 2016, during the Ravens' third preseason game, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon, ending his season.

2017 season

During training camp, Watson competed to be the starting tight end against Crockett Gilmore,

Nick Boyle Nicholas Ryan Boyle (born February 17, 1993) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Delaware and was drafted by the Ravens in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. College career Boyle played col ...

, and Maxx Williams. Head coach

John Harbaugh John William Harbaugh (born September 23, 1962) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles and serv ...

named Watson the backup tight end on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Nick Boyle. In Week 2, he recorded a season-high eight receptions for 91-yards during the Ravens' 21–10 victory against the

. On December 17, 2017, Watson caught four passes for 74 receiving yards and caught a 33-yard touchdown pass during a 27–10 win at the Cleveland Browns in Week 15. Watson finished the 2017 season with 61 receptions for 522 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 16 games and 12 starts. On January 21, 2018, Watson was once again named a finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (won by

J. J. Watt Justin James Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Michigan and Wisconsin and was drafted by the Houston Texans i ...

2018 season

Watson became an unrestricted free agent after completing his two-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens. On March 28, 2018, the New Orleans Saints signed Watson to a one-year, $2 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $645,000. On October 21, 2018, Watson caught

' 500th career touchdown pass in a 24–23 win over the

. That season, Watson won the

Bart Starr Award The Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award is given annually to a National Football League (NFL) player who "best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community." Nominees are gathered from the public ...

as the NFL player who "best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community." On December 27, 2018, Watson announced that he would be retiring after 15 seasons in the NFL.

2019 season

On May 10, 2019, Watson came out of retirement and signed with the New England Patriots, the team that had originally drafted him back in 2004. On May 27, 2019, Watson announced that he had failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs. In March, during his retirement, his physician had prescribed a testosterone supplement. The NFL responded by suspending Watson for the season's first four games. Watson made his 2019 debut on October 21 in a

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, ...

matchup against the rival

which the Patriots won 33-0. He recorded three catches for 18 yards. Against the

in the Wild Card round, Watson recorded 3 catches for 38 yards as the Patriots lost 20–13. Watson announced his second retirement from football on March 16, 2020.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Post season

Personal life

Watson is married to Kirsten Vaughn Watson, who grew up in

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counti ...

. Vaughn was a multisport athlete at Episcopal High School. Her grandfather, Isaac Greggs, was the longtime band director at

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

. Her father Percy Vaughn, is from New Orleans and a Southern University graduate. Her mom, Audree, attended

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 n ...

. Vaughn and Watson married in 2005 after his rookie NFL year. Together they have seven children, including one set of twins. Watson is a devout

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

who is known for being outspoken about his faith. Benjamin has a younger brother, Asa, who was signed by the New England Patriots on May 10, 2014, but was released before the season started. Following the events in Ferguson, Missouri, Watson wrote a Facebook post on the issue of race in America that was "liked" on Facebook more than 850,000 times. The post received national attention. On November 17, 2015, Watson released a book, ''Under Our Skin: Getting Real About Race--And Getting Free From the Fears and Frustrations That Divide Us'', with

Tyndale House Publishers Tyndale House is a Christian publisher in Carol Stream, Illinois. History Tyndale was founded in 1962 by Kenneth N. Taylor in order to publish his paraphrase of the Epistles, which he had composed while commuting to work at Moody Press in C ...

. Watson opposes abortion and spoke at the 2017

March for Life March for Life may refer to: * March for Life (Washington, D.C.), an annual anti-abortion gathering held in Washington, D.C. * March for Life (Paris), an annual demonstration held in Paris protesting abortion * March for Life (Prague), an annual ...

. In 2020, he

executive produced Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

and partially financed a movie called ''Divided Hearts of America'' on the topic of abortion featuring former

Presidential candidate A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example: * to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs. * t ...

Ben Carson Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgeon and politician who served as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021. A pioneer in the field of neurosurgery, he ...

and niece of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Alveda King Alveda Celeste King (born January 22, 1951) is an American activist, author, and former state representative for the 28th District in the Georgia House of Representatives. She is a niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and daughte ...

. In 2018, Watson won the

as the NFL player who "best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field, and in the community." Beginning in 2021, Watson serves as a college football studio analyst for the

SEC Network The SEC Network is an American multinational sports network owned by ESPN Inc., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (which operates the network, through its 80% controlling ownership interest) and Hearst Communications (which holds ...

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

appearing as a staple on the network's SEC Now and SEC Football Final programs, as well as appearing on the SEC Network's live coverage of the SEC Kickoff program.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Benjamin 1980 births Living people 20th-century Christians 21st-century Christians African-American Christians African-American players of American football American football tight ends American anti-abortion activists Baltimore Ravens players Cleveland Browns players Georgia Bulldogs football players New England Patriots players New Orleans Saints players Players of American football from Norfolk, Virginia Players of American football from New Orleans 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people Ed Block Courage Award recipients