I’ll be interested to see what kind of market Chris Godwin generates. He’s been productive, but he’s also had some injury problems.
Godwin, recall, dislocated his ankle in a game against the Ravens, shelving him for the second half of last year. He tore his ACL in 2001. He turns 29 next week, and he’s missed time in five of his last six seasons.
But Godwin has been productive when he’s been on the field, with a proven ability to work the middle of the field. His speed is average at best, but he’s bigger than most wide receivers working in that area. He’s gone over 1,000 yards in four of his last six seasons, and it would be all six if not for the injuries.
Godwin was playing some of the best ball of his career last year, until the injury (which came late in a blowout loss – he shouldn’t have been on the field). He averaged 7.1 catches for 82 yards in his seven games, with 5 TDs. In PPR formats, that made him the most productive receiver in the league at the halfway point of the season. (When compared to others who started at least six games in the first nine weeks of the 2024 season).
Repeating: Godwin in the first half of last season averaged better numbers than the likes of Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb.
| RECEIVERS, FIRST HALF OF SEASON | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | St | No | Yds | Run | TD | PPR |
| • Chris Godwin, T.B. | 7 | 50 | 576 | 2 | 5 | 19.7 |
| Justin Jefferson, Min. | 8 | 48 | 783 | 3 | 5 | 19.6 |
| Ja'Marr Chase, Cin. | 9 | 55 | 717 | 11 | 7 | 18.9 |
| CeeDee Lamb, Dall. | 8 | 53 | 660 | 52 | 4 | 18.8 |
| Malik Nabers, NYG | 7 | 55 | 557 | 0 | 3 | 18.4 |
| Garrett Wilson, NYJ | 9 | 60 | 663 | 5 | 5 | 17.6 |
| Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det. | 8 | 48 | 464 | 0 | 6 | 16.3 |
| Drake London, Atl. | 9 | 50 | 552 | 0 | 6 | 15.7 |
| DK Metcalf, Sea. | 7 | 35 | 568 | 0 | 3 | 15.7 |
| Terry McLaurin, Was. | 9 | 42 | 598 | 2 | 6 | 15.3 |
| DeVonta Smith, Phil. | 7 | 35 | 473 | 0 | 4 | 15.2 |
| Stefon Diggs, Hou. | 8 | 47 | 496 | 8 | 4 | 15.2 |
| Zay Flowers, Balt. | 9 | 46 | 654 | 47 | 3 | 14.9 |
| Jayden Reed, G.B. | 9 | 36 | 620 | 110 | 4 | 14.8 |
| Allen Lazard, NYJ | 7 | 30 | 412 | 0 | 5 | 14.5 |
| Brian Thomas, Jac. | 9 | 35 | 595 | 15 | 5 | 14.4 |
| Darnell Mooney, Atl. | 9 | 41 | 588 | 0 | 5 | 14.4 |
| Jauan Jennings, S.F. | 6 | 25 | 404 | 18 | 3 | 14.2 |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 7 | 26 | 335 | 36 | 6 | 14.2 |
| Josh Downs, Ind. | 7 | 38 | 411 | 12 | 3 | 14.0 |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sea. | 9 | 50 | 568 | 0 | 3 | 13.9 |
| Jakobi Meyers, L.V. | 7 | 39 | 430 | 3 | 2 | 13.8 |
| Davante Adams, 2tms | 6 | 32 | 384 | 0 | 2 | 13.7 |
| Rashid Shaheed, N.O. | 6 | 20 | 349 | 29 | 4 | 13.6 |
| Ladd McConkey, LAC | 8 | 35 | 440 | 0 | 4 | 12.9 |
| Khalil Shakir, Buff. | 8 | 42 | 471 | 4 | 2 | 12.7 |
| Jameson Williams, Det. | 6 | 17 | 361 | 32 | 3 | 12.4 |
| Deebo Samuel, S.F. | 7 | 24 | 406 | 66 | 2 | 11.9 |
| George Pickens, Pitt. | 8 | 35 | 548 | -10 | 1 | 11.9 |
Tampa Bay isn’t expected to use the franchise tag on Godwin. He’s been tagged twice before, so doing so would require them to pay him $29 million.
The Bucs say they are very interested to re-sign Godwin, but if he’s on the open market, there’s a solid chance some other team will value him more. Tampa Bay got solid play out of rookie Jalen McMillan late in the season, which could reduce their urgency to keep Godwin.
At the same time, Mike Evans will be 32 in August. It’s not a given he’ll still be around in 2026. That could contribute to them being leery of parting with a proven pass catcher.
If Godwin can convince other teams he’s healthy and willing to move away from his original team, he should have plenty of interested bidders.
—Ian Allan