As the dust begins to settle on the frenzy of free agency, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to stand out as pretty clear winners. Not only did they add Haason Reddick to help turn their pass rush around, but the Bucs landed perhaps the best offensive free agent of the offseason -- and the best part is it's an internal move.
Chris Godwin hit the open market when the legal tampering period began, but he didn't last long. Mere minutes after teams were allowed to speak with free agents, Godwin was back with the Buccaneers on a three-year, $60 million deal.
That deal came after an anxious few weeks where outside noise created a sense that there was a very real chance that Godwin would leave. It made sense, too, as he was a top player at a coveted position and teams had money to spend to try and pry him away from Tampa Bay.
Even after suffering a season-ending injury back in October, Godwin is in the prime of his career and has proved how important he can be to a successful offense. So it's no surprise that, even with an injury question mark, he was so sought after in free agency, and the possibility of him leaving felt so real.
Thankfully, that didn't happen, but the build-up even had Buccaneers GM Jason Licht feeling a little uneasy about how things would go.
Jason Licht admits he was nervous Chris Godwin might leave Buccaneers in free agency
Licht sat down with Tom Krasniqi of 95.3 WDAE to give a little debrief on free agency, which naturally led to a discussion about Godwin. While everything is squared away now, Licht admits that he was a little nervous that things wouldn't work out and that Godwin would end up leaving to sign with another team.
“I did, to be honest with you, I did. And it’s not a good feeling. You know, it’s a stop short of throwing up in my trash can in my office." Licht said. "He left a lot of money on the table. He valued the culture here. The city. The fans. Being able to hopefully retire as a Buccaneer, I think there’s some value in that."
Thankfully it all worked out in the end -- and exactly the way things were trending. It's true that there was immense interest for Godwin on the open market, but the best outcome for everyone was the one we got.
Godwin is beloved in Tampa Bay and the feeling is clearly mutual. He reportedly left as much as $20 million on the table to re-sign with the Bucs, and Licht mentioned that one team kept offering him a 'blank check'. In the end he signed for less than that to return, but still has a deal that pays him well in a place he loves to be.
It sounds cocky to say, especially in hindsight, but this always seemed like the way things would go. Bucs fans lived through something similar a year ago with Mike Evans, who was set to hit free agency and leave until he wasn't. Godwin is a key piece of the offense and will be important for first-year offensive coordinatorJosh Grizzard to find success.
Back when Godwin suffered his season-ending injury, the knee-jerk reaction was fear that watching him get carted off the field was the last time we'd see him in a Bucs uniform. Even then, though, it seemed like the two sides would find a way to meet in the middle where Godwin returned to a place he thrives and the team would do right by him rather than using his injury against him.
That's the outcome we got, and based on everything we've seen out of the culture the Bucs have built under Jason Licht it's no surprise that it worked out. It's nice to know that even the best GM in football gets a little nervous like the rest of us, though.
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