Tampa Bay Buccaneers Use Franchise Tag on WR Chris Godwin

By Shane Acedera in Football —
3 Min. Read

Chris Godwin Touchdown With Tampa Bay Logo

  • With the franchise Tag, Chris Godwin can earn at least $16.43M on a one-year contract..
  • Godwin led all Tampa Bay receivers with 232 receiving yards during the 2020 NFL playoffs.
  • The Bucs are the odds on favorite to win the NFC Conference at +350.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers asked Chris Godwin to give up his no. 12 jersey last season so that Tom Brady can wear it. That move enabled Godwin to win his first ever Super Bowl title. Now, the Bucs have made Godwin forfeit free agency in order to chase a second ring:

In an announcement made on Tuesday, the recently crowned Super Bowl LV champions said that they will be using the franchise player tag on Godwin, allowing him to earn at least a $16.43M on a one-year contract, the average salary of the Top 5 receivers in the league.

It’s quite a big raise for Godwin who earned a base salary of $2.133M in 2020, the final year of his rookie contract. As a franchise player, Godwin will have until July 15 to negotiate a long-term contract with the Bucs.

84th Overall Pick of the 2017 Draft

Godwin was the Buccaneers’ 84th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Penn State. He started from the bottom and worked his way up to a full starter role during the 2019 season. Moving inside Arians’ “big slot” role that year, Godwin caught 1,333 passing yards despite missing the final two games of the regular season with a hamstring injury. He earned Second team All Pro honors and was named to the Pro Bowl that season while establishing himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL.

The 25-year old has a receiving percentage of 74% over the past two seasons, putting him third in the NFL behind the Saints’ Michael Thomas and the Seahawks’ Tyler Lockett. Godwin’s 0.5% drop percentage during the previous to campaigns is also among the lowest in the league.

He missed four games during the 2020 season with a hamstring injury, concussion, and fractured finger. But he finished strong with four touchdown receptions in the Bucs’ final three regular season games. Godwin led Tampa Bay with 232 receiving yards and had one touchdown catch during the postseason as the Bucs won Super Bowl LV. He has amassed 244 catches with 3,450 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns in 58 career regular season games played.

Tampa Bay 2021 Odds

With Tom Brady expected to return for his 22nd NFL season and his second with Tampa Bay, there’s no question as to why the best NFL betting sites have the Buccaneers among the top favorites to win Super Bowl LVI. By tagging Godwin, the Bucs have ensured that Brady will have his top two receivers back in Mike Evans and Godwin.

Tampa Bay’s title retention efforts didn’t end with Godwin. A couple of hours later, the Bucs signed linebacker Lavonte Davis to a two-year deal worth $25M with a guarantee of $20M and which will cost the Bucs just $3.5M in cap value. That’s key for the Bucs as they are still trying to sign outside linebacker Shaq Barrett to complete their free agency puzzlie.

Coming off their Super Bowl LV win, the Bucs are the odds on favorite to win the NFC South division at -140 and the NFC Conference at +350. Online sportsbook SportsBetting.ag also lists Tampa Bay second in their Super Bowl LVI oddsboard at +650, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs who are listed at +275.

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Shane Acedera / Author

Shane grew up watching the Magic & Bird rivalry but ended up rooting for Detroit's Bad Boys team in the 1990s NBA. He loves to tell sports stories and has been writing about sports since high school. When Shane isn't busy jotting down his thoughts, he's just chillin' at home with his wife Rocelle and their two dogs named Horry and Fisher. He recently added a new family member, adopting a handsome retired K-9 named Ranger.

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