The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have officially shifted into offseason mode, which means figuring out what the plan of attack will be once free agency begins. We are still a month and change away from the new league year beginning but when it does the Bucs will be in a similar position to where they were last year in trying to keep a fan favorite from leaving.
Last season Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans were set to become free agents, but both ended up signing extensions before the tampering period started. That’s the case with Chris Godwin this year, as the Buccaneers are in a position where they need to figure out a way to pay him fairly without getting undercut by another team trying to steal him away.
There will be plenty of interest, too. The Bucs nearly lost Evans, as the Chiefs and Texans were set to make runs at trying to sign him, and the same logic applies for teams potentially interested in Godwin. He’s younger than Evans and was on pace for a career-best year before he suffered a season-ending injury in October.
Even with that injury, Godwin is a top free agent set to hit the market and the Bucs aren’t being coy about what they plan on doing.
ESPN gives first major update on Chris Godwin’s future ahead of free agency
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, things at least initially seem to be trending in the right direction as far as the Buccaneers being able to bring Godwin back.
“Multiple execs expect the Bucs to try to re-sign Godwin, who has that Buc-for-life feel similar to Mike Evans,” Fowler reported.
Despite how hot under the collar most fans were when Godwin was injured, this is the exact scenario that logically made the most sense all along. The image of him being carted off the field was never going to be the last one we saw of Godwin in a Buccaneers uniform, at least not without the team making a serious effort to bring him back.
At the time of his injury, Godwin was on pace to be the top receiver in the league. It’s something boded well for him cashing in on a massive payday in free agency, but even that did’t disqualify the Bucs from being the ones who pay him the way some might have thought. If there’s one thing that leadership in Tampa Bay has established over the years its that loyalty is currency and it often pays well.
We saw this with Evans, the deal that Fowler mentioned. Right when it looked like he was about to hit free agency and likely take a bigger deal in either Houston or Kansas City, Evans returned to Tampa Bay on a deal that paid him well but didn’t break the bank.
It was a happy medium that didn’t jerk anyone around, and it’s a testament to how well respected the relationships in the building are. That’s not the only way the Godwin situation can play out, but it’s one that isn’t getting enough credit in the mad dash to try and connect free agents to new teams.
There’s a very real possibility that the Buccaneers take care of Godwin with a nice new contract that pays him well but doesn’t cut too deeply into the ledger. Mike Greenberg is returning for another season so the Bucs still have their salary cap wizard to potentially restructure deals to create space for a new Godwin contract.
By all accounts he loves being in Tampa Bay and the Bucs love having him. A team like the Raiders ro Jaguars could swoop in and offer him more money than he can pass up, but just like with Baker and Evans last year it seems all signs point to Godwin returning to the Buccaneers on a new deal this offseason.
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