Chiefs wide receiver Justin Watson understands championship football

The Kansas City Chiefs will conduct another Super Bowl ring ceremony on Thursday night. A handful of their players will be collecting their third championship ring with the team. But wide receiver Justin Watson will also be getting a third ring. He notched his first Super Bowl win as a little-used reserve player for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers following the 2020 season — two seasons before he came to Kansas City and won two more.

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So when he arrived, Watson already had championship experience in a different locker room, giving him a perspective other Kansas City players might not have.

Please note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Watson had been on a winning Super Bowl team in three consecutive seasons. Arrowhead Pride regrets the error.

Speaking to reporters after Wednesday’s mandatory minicamp, Watson shared a quote from baseball legend Babe Ruth.

“He said, ‘Yesterday’s home runs don’t win today’s games.’ That’s always how you have to attack the season,” he maintained. “This time of year, nobody cares that you won the Super Bowl last year; it doesn’t earn you anything except getting everybody’s best shot.

“So we’ve just used this time to forget about the Super Bowl. We have the ring ceremony tomorrow. That will be the last time we talk about or celebrate last season. But really, since we’ve gotten here, the whole train is moving forward. Nobody’s talking about last year. It’s about what we want to do this year.”

And Watson likes what he’s been hearing.

“I’m already excited about what we have going in for early next season,” he said. “Our coaching staff is so smart that they see any tendencies we give — and anything defenses try to throw at us late in the season — and figure out how we can complement that. How can we use what they’re overplaying to our advantage?

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“I know Coach Reid’s record in the first month of the season has been good. A lot of that’s been [due to] all the film work and study in the offseason; they watch every single play from the previous season multiple times over. That level of detail makes us feel really confident and comfortable out there.”

He’s also been impressed with the mix of players who are now part of the team’s wide receiver corps.

“[It’s a] good mix of new faces and some guys who have been around here,” he noted. “[There’s] a lot of new energy; it’s been cool. We’re always talking about attacking the new season, using this time to improve and starting to figure out who we are. It’s been cool to see some new additions like Hollywood Brown, [get] Nico Remigio back — and obviously, Xavier [Worthy].”

The veteran wideout — now in his third year playing in head coach Andy Reid’s offensive system — believes the first-round rookie is getting things figured out.

“He’s doing a great job picking up the playbook,” said Watson. “One of the tough things early on in this offense is, ‘OK, can you learn one position? But the way we use receivers, can you learn all three?’

“He’s had a nice opportunity to sit back, look at every single position, see the defenses and let the game slow down for him a bit as he transitions to an NFL playbook and sees NFL defenses.”

Watson didn’t mince his words about new veteran Hollywood Brown, calling him an “awesome leader” and an “awesome worker.”

“He’s a soft-spoken presence,” noted Watson. “He’s got a calming energy. But when it’s ‘Go time,’ it’s ‘Go time.’

“He gets fired up. He just has that energy. When he goes out, he wants to be the first guy to make a play — and once he makes a play, he wants to bring everyone with him; he wants to bring that energy.”

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Both receivers are bringing a lot of speed to the table — and for the first time, it might be more than Watson can handle.

“Last year, we had a lot of debates and conversations — actually the last two years — about who’s the fastest [on the team],” he recalled. “I would always put my name in that ring. But now, I’m going to defer to one of those two. Those guys can absolutely fly. One of those two are definitely the fastest right now.”

Watson admits that playing through the Super Bowl before returning for OTAs is challenging — but says he’s figured out how to do it.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to do that three times,” he explained, “so you kind of figure out how to get your body turned around quickly.

“[But] once you come here, it’s just fun. It feels like being a kid again — just going out there [to play]. I can’t believe I can still put a helmet on — and call this a job.”