Ex-New England Patriots Tight End Announces Retirement Plans

Tight end Benjamin Watson says his 15th NFL season will be his last, and he hopes to go out on top as a member of the 13-2 New Orleans Saints.

But not before settling some unfinished business first.

New Orleans Saints tight Benjamin Watson has announced that he will retire from the National Football League at the end of the 2018-19 season.

“It’s time,” Watson told NFL Network. “It’s time to be done. I’m gonna finish strong.”

“I knew coming into this year that it probably would be the last year. And I think our approach was as a family that we were fortunate to come and play for another year, but you kind of know,” said Watson, who spent six years with the Patriots, three with the Cleveland Browns, three with the Saints and two with the Baltimore Ravens before rejoining the Saints this offseason. “It’s been great to be a part of this team and have this sort of winning at this point of my career. But the injuries add up, the body struggles more and more. And it becomes evident that it’s time.

“It’s always a very hard thing, but my mentality this year has definitely been to perform to the best of my ability and fight through different things.”

After 15 years of football, @BenjaminSWatson is ready to hang up his jersey and fully enjoy his #1 job as a father of five, as he awaits his two newest additions. #NFLFilmsPresents: Ben Watson@Saints pic.twitter.com/pXnYlXL7hB

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) December 27, 2018

This season, Watson caught Drew Brees’ 500th career touchdown pass and made headlines when he used one of his scoring catches to make an announcement: that he and his wife were expecting twins, their sixth and seventh children.

Ben Watson may have just made the greatest pregnancy announcement in history. pic.twitter.com/8euaRFI0dJ

— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) November 4, 2018

Watson is playing his 15th NFL season after being selected in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft out of the University of Georgia by the New England Patriots. He spent six seasons in New England, catching 167 passes for 2,102 yards and 20 touchdowns, before signing with Cleveland in 2010.

The 6-foot-3, 251 pounder came back from a torn Achilles that cost him his entire 2016 season to catch 61 passes for 522 yards and four touchdowns in 16 games with Baltimore.

Watson is a member of the NFLPA Executive Committee and of the Players’ Coalition.

Watson spent more than half of his career catching passes from future Hall of Famers Tom Brady and Drew Brees, which he called “pretty incredible.” And he joked that he tells them if he goes into TV or broadcasting that, “I’ll always have something to talk about” because of them.

In his career, Watson has 528 catches for 5,856 yards and 44 touchdowns.

Watson said one of his fondest NFL memories was being elected as a captain with the Saints in 2015. And when asked what he hopes his legacy will be, he gave a lengthy response.

“I want my legacy to be somebody who loved his wife and somebody who loved his kids and tried to lead his family, and encouraged other guys that they have what it takes to be the men that they’re called to be,” Watson said after his announcement.