Ben Watson Is Accepting of Situation with Patriots: 'I Wish I Earned a Roster Spot'
On Monday the New England Patriots did not activate veteran tight end Benjamin Watson to their active roster, making him a free agent and no longer part of New England's organization. It's an unfortunate part of the business, as Watson was not just a quality player, but also a person of high character who was well respected in the locker room. But as head coach Bill Belichick explained, there simply wasn't a spot for him on the roster.
Despite being convinced by the Patriots to come out of retirement this offseason just to wind up being cut by them before he could play a meaningful snap in 2019, Watson says he has no ill-will towards New England and the way it ended.
"No, I wouldn't characterize it as bitter, but definitely sad about the situation, Watson said to WEEI's radio show "OMF" on Wednesday afternoon. "... I understand the business side of it. I wish I earned a roster spot."
At 38 years old, Watson said that he does still have a desire to play, but there's a limited amount of teams he would play for at this point in his career.
His presence will be missed by Patriots players and coaches, especially by those, like Tom Brady, who's relationship with Watson grew outside of football.
“I miss (Ben Watson)," Brady said during his press conference on Tuesday. "He was right next to me (in locker room). For as great as a player he was, he was 10 times a better person. Just the highest integrity. I can’t say enough good things about Ben, what he’s meant to me, my family, our team. We’re gonna miss him.”
One hopes that a player of high character like Watson will get one more stab at playing in the NFL before he calls it career once again.
