It was a wild start to NFL Free Agency on Monday, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wasting no time in negotiating deals with key players. Even with a long list of things to address, nothing felt more critical than the Bucs figuring out how to re-sign Chris Godwin and ensure that one of the best receivers in football remained a key piece of the offense.
That's exactly what happened, despite how nerve-wracking things got in the 11th hour. Despite noise over the weekend that suggested the Bucs should be worried about losing Godwin, he re-signed with the team just a few minutes after the legal tampering period began.
Godwin returns on a $66 million year that keeps him in Tampa Bay through 2027, but it wasn't the only move that impacted the Bucs. Haason Reddick was inked to a $14 million deal, giving the Bucs some much-needed pass rush help, but it was a player who signed elsewhere that gave the team an unexpected win on the first day of free agency.
It only took a year for the Buccaneers to win the Carlton Davis III trade
Last year, the Bucs kicked off free agency by trading Carlton Davis III to the Detroit Lions. At the time, it was viewed as a win-win, as everyone got something that felt like it was useful; Davis got a fresh start with a top defense, Detroit landed a potential CB1, and the Bucs netted a third-round pick.
A year later, Davis is already done in Detroit as his free agent deal with the New England Patriots pretty much confirms the Bucs won the trade.
Detroit got a decent amount of production out of Davis, but the same injury issues that plagued him in Tampa Bay impacted his season with the Lions. Moreover, Detroit's defense was blown up at the worst possible time, getting roasted in the NFC Divisional Round by the Commanders in a game Davis didn't even play in.
He ended up missing five games last year, including the Lions' playoff loss, which is exactly why the Bucs cut bait when they did. When he's healthy, Davis has the ability to be a top cornerback in the league which is why the Lions gave up a third round pick to get him last offseason. He was fine for most of the season but wasn't able to show up when Detroit needed him most.
Meanwhile the Bucs drafted Jalen McMillan with the third-rounder it received from the Lions, and while there's only a small sample size to judge it feels like a home run pick. Godwin returning further solidifies this notion, as Tampa Bay now heads into 2025 with Mike Evans, Godwin, and McMillan as its top wide receivers.
Davis is also technically a winner since he parlayed his season in Detroit into a $60 million deal to play in Mike Vrabel's defense. The Lions signed D.J. Reed not long after losing Davis, so he's been effectively replaced, but the Bucs can hold their head high knowing they came out on top in last year's trade.
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