Ben Watson is officially not retired and the San Francisco 49ers know it. The veteran tight end announced his intention to hang up his cleats after the 2018 season all the way back in December. He was a member of the New Orleans Saints then, and made it clear he would be retiring after their playoff run.
Perhaps it was because of the way the Saints' season ended, with the controversial non-call, but something left a bad taste in Watson's mouth. Last month, it was announced that he was considering a comeback. The fact that he was unable to play in the NFC Championship Game due to injury may have factored into his decision to come back for one more ride as well.
A couple of weeks ago there was a report that Watson might be interested in joining the Patriots. Then today, we heard he would be visiting the Patriots. New England just lost Rob Gronkowski to retirement, so a match there would make some sense.
But the Patriots aren't the only team Watson has his sights on, as he's also considering the San Francisco 49ers among other teams, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The 49ers already have George Kittle established as one of the league's best tight ends, so he likely wouldn't have too big of a role on offense if he went there.
That's probably fine with Watson, who could serve more as a blocker and veteran leader in the locker room. Watson is 38 now but he remained reasonably productive last season, catching 35 passes for 400 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints replaced him with their offseason acquisition of Jared Cook.
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