Buccaneers’ attempt to resign Chris Godwin likely just got harder

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of improvements to make in 2025, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. But there's one player that they need to keep, too, and it might be a little hard to get that done.

Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is an unrestricted free agent heading into 2025. The Bucs want him back, and he wants to be back, but it's a business — and the two sides are going to have to find a way to conduct it. Spotrac recently put out their full free agency primer for the offseason, and they anticipate Godwin being worth quite a bit of money.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin looks on before a game against the Baltimore Ravens. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Here's what Spotrac writer Michael Ginnitti had to say about Godwin:

"Godwin was on pace for another Godwin-like campaign in 2024 before an ankle injury derailed his season. Teams will have some pause when assessing the 28-year-old coming back from his second major injury, but a weak WR market will help sustain his ability to cash in. The former 3rd round pick carries a 3-year, $66M valuation in our system."

The Bucs will need to clear quite a bit of cap to make this happen, and that shouldn't be too much of a problem. The team can extend players like Mike Evans and Luke Goedeke to help with that, and they can rework the contracts of Tristan Wirfs and Baker Mayfield to get some breathing room, too. If the Bucs really want Godwin back, he will be back.

But then there's the question of how much that would cost elsewhere. If the team wanted to bring in a free agent linebacker or edge rusher, could they? How important in Godwin's role in the offense in conjunction with improving the defense?

These are tough questions to ask, and they'll be even tougher for general manager Jason Licht to answer.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 season.

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