Former Buccaneer looks to continue his rise in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Wide receiver Justin Watson has had to get his finger sized for Super Bowl rings three times: once with Tampa Bay and twice with Kansas City.

Despite his run of personal and team success, Watson knows nothing he's done in the past means anything in the present.

"I think it's a Hank Aaron quote that I really like," Watson said. "'Yesterday's home runs don't win today's games.' That's always how you have to attack the season. Nobody cares that you won the Super Bowl last year. The only thing it earns you is that you get everybody's best shot."

Watson played with the Buccaneers from 2018-2021. He earned limited playing time behind the likes of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. But he did enough to catch the eye of the Chiefs, who signed him before the 2022 season.

He joined another powerful offense led by two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.

"At first, you're just trying to figure out the plays on the sheet. After that, it's like, this is how the line is drawn on the sheet," Watson explained. "But what do you have in the route that you can work with? Now, in my third year, it's really about getting on the same page with Pat."

Watson's road had its share of bumps. At one point, he was so eager to stay on the roster that he sat in on defensive meetings with the Bucs.

"It was funny because he was actually in the safety room for a few weeks before he went to KC- which is crazy. I don't know if anybody really knew about that," Bucs safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. recalled. "It's crazy to see how that opportunity flipped. Now he's starting in KC and doing a great job over there, so it's really cool to see."

At the ripe old age of 28, Watson embraces his role as a veteran and a leader in the Chiefs' locker room.

"It's cool to know what the coaches want, know what Pat wants, and be able to share some insight with these guys so they don't have to learn the hard way," Watson added. "It's been fun coming in as the new guy, and then three years in find myself as the old guy in the room. And the guy that's got a little more gray hairs, here and there."

"Three-time Super Bowl champion" might not be the title you expect in front of Watson's name, but he couldn't be happier to continue his ride in the NFL.

"It feels like back to being a kid again. Just going out there," he said with a smile. "Can't believe I can still put a helmet on and call this a job."