Chris Godwin Already Building Chemistry with Tom Brady

This NFL offseason is the most unique in recent memory, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is still doing everything he can to build a rapport with his new quarterback.

Godwin can't run routes with Tom Brady right now, but he says he and Brady are already well aware of each other as players, and have instead been using their initial conversations to get to know one another on a personal level.

"It's not much conversation about what each other is like as a player," Godwin said Thursday via video conference call. "I think that Tom is a really smart guy and from what I can tell, I'd imagine he's watched some film on us as a team so he probably has a pretty good feel for the type of person I am or the type of player I am. The few conversations we've had have literally just been trying to get to know each other on a little bit on a personal basis and get a little bit of familiarity so that meeting in person it's not like we're meeting for the first time and now we're trying to play catch up."

Brady may be the greatest quarterback of all time, but Godwin was impressed by how down-to-earth the six-time Super Bowl champ has been in their conversations.

"The biggest thing that's stuck out to me thus far is really that [Brady's] a lot more normal than he kind of seems," said Godwin. "I think you see this figure being this elite player at the top of his game and just so highly regarded that I guess you expect something a little different. But when I was talking to him, he just seemed like a really normal guy. You could kind of sense a little bit of the competitiveness and sense of urgency in him but I think that's just who he is naturally."

Godwin is coming off the best season of his young career, finishing third in the NFL with 1,333 receiving yards, despite missing the last 2.5 games of the season due to a hamstring injury. He still earned his first Pro Bowl nod, and as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract, Godwin is in line for a huge long-term extension from the Bucs.

In the meantime, it sounds like Godwin is doing the best he can to build chemistry with his new quarterback.