The Cincinnati Bengals are franchise tagging Tee Higgins and that means Chris Godwin is one happy man right now. The Bengals' decision to tag Higgins means that Godwin is the top wide receiver slated to hit free agency in a few weeks. It also means that it's going to be much trickier for the Bucs to keep Godwin in Tampa.
For those who haven't been following along, the Bucs won't be using the franchise tag on Godwin so the options are to sign him to a new contract or let him walk. The preferred option is to keep Godwin in a Bucs uniform but this Higgins news has definitely complicated things.
Keeping Chris Godwin isn't a certainty after Tee Higgins news
The good news is that Godwin and the Bucs agreed to push back the void date on his contract, meaning he's clearly interested in staying in Tampa. Mike Evans' contract situation might not have seemed like it was going in a great direction but alas, he re-signed and stuck with the Bucs. Don't be surprised if a similiar situation plays out here with Godwin.
Another good set of news is that Dan Graziano of ESPN reported on Monday morning that the Bucs were "optimistic about their chances of reaching a deal with Godwin". We know what this front office is capable of (take last year, for example) so until Godwin is signing a contract elsewhere, the possibility of him sticking around appears to be strong.
That being said, Godwin has dealt with injuries recently, including missing half of the 2024 season due to a torn ACL. It'd be great to re-sign him and keep him in Tampa but overpaying a recently injured wide receiver who is approaching 30 isn't something this team should sign up for. Keep Godwin if the price is right but if other teams offer him a boatload of cash, it might be time to let him walk.
Godwin might end up being lured to another team on a huge contract now that he's the top receiver on the market and at the end of the day, he needs to do what's best for him. Bucs fans would love him back but we'll just have to see what ends up happening.