We're less than a month away from the new league year beginning, and when it does the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have one major order of business to attend to. Chris Godwin is set to become a free agent, but it doesn't appear his situation will play out the same way we saw with Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans last year.
Both Evans and Mayfield were set to become free agents last March, but neither of them actually got there. Tampa Bay signed each player to contract extensions before the tampering window opened ahead of free agency starting, which kept two top players off the market.
That could end up happening again with Chris Godwin, but early signs are that he'll be testing the market this March. Godwin is set to hit free agency as a Top 10 available player and will surely be on the radar of a handful of teams, including teams with ties to him, like the Jaguars and Raiders.
Ideally the Bucs find a way to get something done before free agency opens, but if that happens it will be without the safety net of the franchise tag.
'No chance' Buccaneers use franchise tag on Chris Godwin before free agency
Last year Antoine Winfield Jr. was set to become a free agent but the Bucs franchise tagged him when the two sides were unable to reach a deal before the league year began. As a precaution, Tampa Bay franchise tagged him as a way of extending its negotiating window which ended up working out well in the end.
That's a strategy some thought the Bucs might use with Godwin, but it turns out that won't be the case.
According to ESPN's Jenna Laine, the Buccaneers won't be using the franchise tag on Godwin. It's a bit of a surprise, given that we just heard the team is going to do all it can to bring Godwin back, but the math doesn't add up when thinking about how it could come back to bite the Bucs.
"While sources told ESPN that the Bucs very much want receiver Chris Godwin back and they'll do what it takes to make this happen, it won't be on a franchise tag. They used the tag as a placeholder the last time Godwin was a free agent (in 2022), and they used it on him in 2021, so this would be his third time being tagged -- therefore it would have to be a 144% raise, and I'm told there is "no chance" of that happening. They'll do what it takes to re-sign him as a free agent," Laine reported.
That's an expensive safety to to lay out, which is why the Bucs would be wise to avoid using it with Godwin.
It's no doubt a risk to let Godwin hit the open market, but it's also not a foregone conclusion that he's going to leave if that happens.
All signs still point to the Bucs being the leaders in the clubhouse when it comes to signing Godwin this offseason. Not only did we go through a similar situation last offseason with Mike Evans only to have him return on a new deal, but every indication is that Godwin loves Tampa Bay as much as the organzation loves him back.
What this creates is a scenario where Godwin is still paid like a top receiver in the league but the two sides meet in the middle to ensure the relationship continues. This is what happened with Baker, Evans, Winfield, and even Tristan Wirfs last offseason and there's no reason to believe the Bucs can't make it happen again.
Of course, Godwin will get significant offers on the open market and the Jaguars will absolutely make him a Godfather offer to try and steal him away. That's always been a nightmare scenario for fans, but money might not talk as loudly as some are assuming. Godwin has been vocal about how much Tampa has meant to him and his family and that's currency which no other team can offer. Loyalty matters and it's a big reason why the Bucs have been able to keep the band together as much as they have.
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