Patriots Lose Top WR Target to Buccaneers

The New England Patriots lost out on a major name hitting the free agency market.

Oct 23, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) runs for yards after catch during the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots have lost out on the Chris Godwin sweepstakes just moments into the opening of NFL free agency.

According to NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have agreed to a three-year, $66 million deal with Godwin, effectively keeping him in town until the 2028 season and taking him off the Patriots' radar of potential wide receiver targets.

Godwin was rumored as one of New England's top wide receiver targets on the board heading into free agency with rumors insisting the Patriots would be willing to overspend to bring him on board, but in the end, those efforts proved to be futile.

Instead, Godwin will re-join the team that drafted him back in the third-round of the 2017 NFL Draft, potentially gearing up to retire in Tampa Bay on a similar path as his pass catching counterpart in Mike Evans.

Godwin is coming off a limited season cut short due to a brutal ankle injury in Week 7, logging 50 catches on 576 receiving yards and five touchdowns, but still earns his payday. Despite the hurdles, he still managed to cash in for a multi-year deal worth over $20 million annually.

As for the Patriots, their focus at wide receiver is now forced to turn elsewhere, but the pool of appealing candidates to bring in seems to get smaller and smaller with each passing hour.

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