For the second straight season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South and made the playoffs, and this year, they overcame a serious ankle injury wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered midway through the schedule.
Godwin has been a key player for the Buccaneers for the past several years, and he is a holdover from their Super Bowl LV championship team that included quarterback Tom Brady.
There has been some doubt about whether the Bucs would hold onto Godwin moving forward, and they reportedly have decided to create more time to come to an agreement.
“Chris Godwin’s current contract was due to void, triggering $18 million in dead money against the Bucs’ 2025 cap, but the two sides agreed to move that void date to the final day of the league year (March 12). Buys them time to work out a new deal and keep some 2025 cap savings,” Greg Auman of FOX Sports wrote on X.
Chris Godwin’s current contract was due to void, triggering $18 million in dead money against the Bucs’ 2025 cap, but the two sides agreed to move that void date to the final day of the league year (March 14). Buys them time to work out a new deal and keep some 2025 cap savings.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) February 19, 2025
Bucs will not use the franchise tag on Chris Godwin. It would be his third tag, which means it’s at the QB value, which would be like $41 million for one year. Not a realistic option here. https://t.co/q4Xh4fJesS
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) February 19, 2025
Godwin had surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in four of the previous five seasons and was on his way to reaching that milestone again with 576 receiving yards in seven games at the time of his injury.
He will turn 29 years old this month, and if he makes a full recovery from his dislocated ankle, perhaps he could give the Buccaneers a few more years of solid football.
Tampa Bay has the foundation of a winning team moving forward with quarterback Baker Mayfield, who overcame his early-career problems to make the Pro Bowl the past two seasons, and wideout Mike Evans, who has exceeded 1,000 yards in each of his 11 NFL seasons.
It also has rookie running back Bucky Irving, who could be on his way to becoming a star after posting 1,122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns this season.
