Buccaneers hurt themselves with Chris Godwin franchise tag
By Rob Leeds
Chris Godwin is staying put with the Buccaneers, not that this should surprise anyone. But how much does the franchise tag hurt?
The Buccaneers were almost assuredly never going to let Chris Godwin walk in free agency. A wide receiver of his caliber that started with this team from his first year in the league is the exact type of player that teams hold onto. Losing a key offensive weapon for price is a bad precedent to set.
However, signing Godwin to the franchise tag is still not the success that most people think it is. Having to use the franchise tag on Godwin rather than on a guy like Carlton Davis shows a major hole in the way the front office is handling this offseason.
No one on the planet should believe that Godwin will actually play on the tag. This move is merely a placeholder until both parties can work out a long-term deal, but the fact that it took so long for this to happen shows where the disconnect is.
It’s not like the franchise tag deadline ever sneaks up on anyone. The Bucs have known about this date for months, and they should’ve used at least the last month to work out a deal with Godwin to keep this from happening.
Now, the Bucs will lose out on the opportunity to do this very same thing with Carlton Davis; another important piece that brings more value than almost anyone else on the defense.
This decision means that Tampa loses its leverage with one more key player in free agency, and every name will count during a season like this.
The Buccaneers may still figure out a way to make everything work nicely, but this is not a great first step, even if it does guarantee that an important piece like Chris Godwin is staying put.
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