Saints TE Benjamin Watson Announces He Plans to Retire After 2018 Season

Ben Watson, who spent 14 years in the NFL as a reliable pass-catching tight end, announced Thursday that he plans to retire from professional football at the age of 38, per Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune. 

Watson has played all 15 games this season with the New Orleans Saints, ranking third on the team with 33 catches to go with his 371 yards and two touchdowns.

A first-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2004, Watson's career started on a rough note when a knee injury derailed his rookie campaign after just one game. 

"That was devastating for me," Watson said of the injury, per the Baltimore Sun's Childs Walker. "A lot of my identity was tied up in football and my performance, as it should be as a professional. But I was all over the place emotionally. I was a jerk to be around when I was hurt. I felt like I was worthless because I couldn't do anything. And now having that perspective 14 years later, I have a better perspective on my value being not so tied up in football and my performance."

Fortunately, that injury didn't prove disastrous in the long run. 

Watson rebounded and appeared in at least 12 games each of the next five seasons, and he finished his career in New England with 167 receptions for 2,102 yards and 20 touchdowns. 

The University of Georgia product spent the next six years split evenly between the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints, and his final season during his first stint in the Big Easy proved to be the most productive of his career. 

Over 16 appearances in 2015, Watson hauled in 74 receptions on 110 targets for 825 yards and six scores. 

Watson spent the next two years with the Ravens, but he never sniffed the field in 2016 after tearing his Achilles during the preseason. However, Watson rebounded with aplomb and proved solid with 522 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2017.

He returned to the Saints this season, in what appears to be his final campaign in the NFL, rejoining a good friend in Drew Brees. The tight end caught Brees' 500th touchdown pass earlier this year, which led to some high praise from the quarterback.

"One of the greatest things about the 500th touchdown pass, it was caught by one of my favorite teammates of all time," Brees said of Watson, per Luke Johnson of the Times-Picayune. "I couldn't think of a better guy to catch this touchdown than Ben Watson. He is a terrific veteran, and I look up to him."

Ultimately, that kind of leadership will likely be what Watson is remembered for.