It was an extremely successful first day of free agency for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the team wasted hardly any time adding some key players. Re-signing Chris Godwin was by far the biggest deal of the day, as it ended months of speculation about whether or not he'd get stolen away by a team able to offer more money than Tampa Bay.
Godwin was offered more money to leave and ultimately chose to leave a reported $20 million on the table so that he could stay with the Bucs. It was an incredibly gesture of loyalty on both sides, from Godwin's decision to not take more money to Tampa Bay paying him a rich but fair new contract.
Speaking of loyalty, the decision for Godwin to re-sign with the Bucs ended any fears that Liam Coen and the Jacksonville Jaguars might pry him away from Tampa Bay. The Jaguars cleared the deck ahead of free agency in a move that seemed to pretty clearly be about adding a top free agent, and Godwin was near the top of so lists.
As it turns out fans have nothing to fear, but Coen didn't let the day end without snagging at least one player away from the Buccaneers.
Liam Coen steals Robert Hainsey away from Buccaneers
According to Ian Rapoport, the Jaguars are in agreement with Robert Hainsey, who will reunite with Coen in Jacksonville. It's a pretty nice contract for Hainsey and can be seen as yet another feather in Tampa Bay's cap when it comes to how well the organization develops talent.
Hainsey was one of the many offensive lineman the Bucs picked over the last few years to develop into what the team has now. It took a bit, and Hainsey never caught on the same way that guys like Luke Geodeke and Graham Barton have, but he's provided reliable depth ever since arriving in Tampa Bay back in 2021.
Now he heads to Jacksonville where he'll likely have a much larger role than he would have if he'd stayed with the Bucs. Tampa Bay re-signed Ben Bredeson to a three-year deal, which locks in all five starting lineman for at least next year. Hainsey would have been a key rotational player, like we saw last year when he filled in for Goedeke, but he's in line for a promotion under Coen.
It stinks to lose a guy like Hainsey but the Bucs are in a position where they can afford to lose him and not feel the effects too much. That's a testament to the job Jason Licht has done rebuilding the offensive line over the last few seasons, and it's why there's ample confidence that he'll find a way to effectively replace Hainsey now that he's gone.
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