Chris Godwin
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin.
One thing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers do really well is draft wide receivers.
One look at the roster tells us as much.
Likely future Hall of Famer Mike Evans was a 1st round pick ini 2013. NFL All-Pro Chris Godwin was a 3rd round pick in 2017. NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist Emeka Egbuka was a 1st round pick in 2025.
While bringing them in hasn’t been a problem, the Buccaneers do seem to have a problem figuring out when to let go. It’s a weakness that could be remedied this offseason with just a few moves.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine put Godwin, who signed a 3-year, $66 million contract extension in March 2025, as No. 1 on the list of Tampa Bay’s “Top Trade Assets” this offseason.
“Trading away Chris Godwin could free up $5.8 million to bring back Mike Evans while continuing to develop Emeka Egbuka,” Ballentine wrote. “Godwin will be 30 next season and will be coming off back-to-back seasons with significant injuries.”
Godwin’s Recent Injury History Cause for Concern
It’s not accurate to say Godwin has back-to-back seasons with significant injuries — it’s one injury that’s essentially wiped out 2 seasons in his prime.
The Buccaneers, for some inexplicable reason, signed Godwin to his $66 million extension coming off a catastrophic leg injury which cost him the final 10 games of the 2024 regular season.
In 2025, as Tampa Bay fell apart with an 8-9 record and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019, Godwin did little to help with career lows of 33 receptions for 360 yards and 2 touchdowns as he missed a career-high 8 games.
That’s 18 games — a complete regular season plus 1 — over the last 2 years alone.
The most confusing thing about Godwin’s struggles was he never went on injured reserve to start the season, which he obviously should have. He returned in Week 4, wasn’t fully recovered from his 2024 injury, then had to miss another 5 games.
It’s fair to ask some questions now as to what went wrong in what should have been a fairly straightforward process.
Questions like … why did the Buccaneers sign him for so much money? And what medical advice did the team and Godwin receive, who’d they receive it from and why it was so inaccurate?
Godwin Called ‘Top Trade Target’ For Other Teams
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine put Godwin at the top of his list of potential trade targets for the Cleveland Browns, where he would be reunited with former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who will be in his first year as the Browns head coach in 2026.
“Chris Godwin would be an interesting fit now that Todd Monken is coming in as head coach,” Ballentine wrote. “He was a big part of Godwin’s early development during his time in Tampa and the Bucs might be willing to deal him after back-to-back years of struggling with injures.”
The most important component here is the team Godwin would be traded to, the Browns, is one of the few teams gullible enough to take on his contract. For the Buccaneers, who are in desperate need of defensive help, that extra money might put them in the hunt for a player like NFL All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.