Chris Godwin Contract Eyed By Bucs GM in NFL FA; WR 'Means the World' to Franchise

After spending his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chris Godwin could be on his way out this offseason as he enters free agency.

But Bucs general manager Jason Licht would rather keep the wide receiver who "means the world" to the team on the roster by signing him to an extension.

"Hopefully, we can come to an agreement with him because Chris means the world to this organization, to all of us individually but as an organization as a whole," Licht said at the NFL combine, per ESPN's Jenna Laine. "Nobody has been more resilient than him. We've been down this road, a similar path, with him. Nobody has been more resilient and works harder than him. So those are the good things. If I were a betting man, I'd bet on Chris. But the facts are we have to wade through some variables here."

Godwin has been a cornerstone of the Buccaneers' offense since he was drafted in 2017. He's amassed four seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards, the most recent coming in 2023 when he had 1,024 yards and two touchdowns.

Godwin was on pace for a career-high in receiving yards in 2024 after recording 576 yards and five touchdowns in seven games, but a dislocated left ankle ended his season prematurely.

According to Laine, Godwin's recent injury, which required surgery, doesn't change how the team feels about him.

"There's still some uncertainties, but he's progressing," Licht said. "He's doing everything he can. ... We're going to use as much time as we have to consider options and consider with regards to him how we construct things or how we do things. That's where we're at right now."

Laine noted that Godwin had a void date of Feb. 17 on his 2025 contract, but the team and Godwin's agent agreed to push that deadline to March 12 to give the two sides more time to discuss an extension.

Spotrac gives Godwin a market value of $22.5 million per year, slightly more than his previous three-year, $60 million deal. Considering Godwin just turned 28 and has established himself as a consistent offensive threat, that would seemingly be a price Tampa Bay is willing to pay to keep Godwin in a Bucs uniform.

The Buccaneers are coming off a 10-7 season that saw them reach the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season despite dealing with a handful of injuries throughout the year, including ailments to Godwin and star receiver Mike Evans, who missed three games.

With quarterback Baker Mayfield playing the best football of his career and Evans under contract for another season, re-signing Godwin and keeping the Bucs offensive core in tact seems like the best move this offseason.