Chris Godwin or Mike Evans: Can the Buccaneers afford both?
By Rob Leeds
The potential contract
Since the Buccaneers are already exploring options for an extension, it is safe to say that the franchise sees locking Godwin down before another star season as one of the highest priorities. If Godwin makes an All-Pro team again, his price will continue to skyrocket.
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For now, let’s assume that the Bucs are willing to give Godwin between $15 million/year and $18 million/year to bring him up unto the fold of the higher-paid receivers without leap-frogging Evans.
If the Buccaneers can sell it and keep Godwin happy with $15 million, they are on the hook for approximately $33.5 million per year to their top receivers. Still, this figure could potentially get as high as $36.5 million.
With the NFL salary cap sitting at $198.2 million (and that number could drop in 2021 due to COVID-19), Evans and Godwin will constitute around 17-18% of the total, requiring just shy of a fifth of the total available funds.
Regardless of any production level, this will still be a lot to allocate to a single position group. The closest team to the potential scenario here is the Browns, where Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry combine to form the previous scenario’s lower bond at around $33.5 million per year.
The Bucs and the Browns both had great receivers last season, but it is worth noting that this was not the decisive edge to get either team to the playoffs.