Buccaneers need to avoid franchise tag opportunity in 2022

The Buccaneers have no business signing Chris Godwin to the franchise tag.

We’re going to use this time to get rid of some of the craziest ideas regarding the Buccaneers and their offseason plans.

The front office would be out of their minds to let Chris Godwin walk. Godwin has emerged as one of the best receivers in the NFL, and letting him go over money would be a ridiculous decision.

After seeing how bad the receiver room was at the end of the season, no one in their right mind should advocate for the Bucs to move on from one of their most important offensive pieces.

Assuming the Buccaneers do make the right decision and Godwin is staying put, it is important to recognize how this will happen.

The Buccaneers are not going to use the franchise tag on Godwin, and they are certainly not signing him to the tag to trade him.

Sign and trade deals are almost completely absent in the NFL, and perhaps some fans have been watching a bit too much NBA to suggest such a thing.

Regardless, the idea of using the tag on Godwin is a terrible idea from top to bottom.

First of all, a deal like this would kill Tampa’s already-limited cap space. Making Godwin one of the highest-paid receivers in the league during a year where the cap is already going to be tight is a terrible way to start such a critical offseason.

The Bucs need the financial buffer created by a long-term deal, and that is also the right decision for what Godwin deserves.

Tampa has already seen enough of Godwin to know that he deserves to stay. Tagging him due to an injury would be completely unfair by the front office, and nothing that we have seen from this group until this point leads us to believe this is even on their radar.

Godwin should be back in 2022, and there is almost no chance that it is on anything other than a long-term deal.

Want to write about the Buccaneers? Apply below!