TAMPA — In the span of less than a year, Chris Godwin buried his father and then suffered a gruesome injury that threatened his career during a contract season.
“2024 kicked my ass a little bit,” Godwin said Tuesday. “But that’s life, right? Me and (my wife) Mariah, we talked about this a couple of times. It’s about the duality of life and the peaks and valleys of it and we got to see it firsthand in a span of 12 months, really 11 months, where I lost my father. That was the lowest day of my life. I spent a lot of time reflecting about the person that he was, the lesson that he taught me. The things he had to do for me to be here.”
Godwin was seated at a desk with general manager Jason Licht, having agreed to a three-year contract worth $66 million, his second with the Bucs as a free agent.
Mariah and their 2 ½-month-old son, Ace, watched from the front row of the auditorium a few feet away. Godwin looked at his family and smiled.
“And eleven months later, we welcomed the biggest blessing of our lives,” Godwin said. ”All the things my dad would tell me and the love he would pour into me, I can already see it. I see it in that little boy, and I just want to give him the world. When he smiles at me my heart melts. These are all the things my father poured into me. … I’m grateful. I’m humble."
Has there ever been a player who has had to overcome more and maintained a Pro Bowl level of play with the Bucs than Godwin?
In 2021, he tore two knee ligaments in a game against the Saints in the final month of the season. Somehow, he started the 2022 season opener at Dallas and caught the first pass of the year from Tom Brady.
Flash forward to that night Oct. 21, 2024. The Bucs were on their way to losing 41-31 to the Ravens in the final minute when Godwin dislocated his ankle after an illegal hip drop tackle by linebacker Roquan Smith.
At the time, he led the NFL with 50 receptions and had five touchdowns catches, on the way to perhaps his best season.
![Chris Godwin’s wife Mariah holds their newborn son Ace as Godwin and Bucs general manager Jason Licht address media Tuesday.](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 620 451"/%3E)
Chris Godwin’s wife Mariah holds their newborn son Ace as Godwin and Bucs general manager Jason Licht address media Tuesday. [ DIRK SHADD | Times ]
That’s why there was so much emotion in the voice of general manager Jason Licht as he talked about how Godwin left millions — as much as $30 million according to ESPN — on the table to return to the Bucs.
“People always give us credit for betting on Chris during his injuries,” Licht said. “But he and Mariah bet on us and we’re going to do everything we can to make sure that we make it right for you and chase another ring. ...
Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene
Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter
We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.
Loading...
You’re all signed up!
Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.
Explore all your options
“You’re supposed to stand here before fans and say I don’t get stressed and I have ice in my veins. But I don’t. It’s an emotional time. So it took everything out of me not to be texting Chris and be like you’re texting your girlfriend. My wife had to say, ‘Don’t push him.' So when it got over with, it was an awesome moment.”
Godwin made it clear his decision wasn’t going to be based on money.
“Me and Mariah got here when we were just kids, right out of college,” he said. “We were 20 years old. We didn’t know a ton about Tampa, but I think we quickly found out this was a place we were going to quickly be able to call home. Over the eight years since then, we’ve met a lot of great people that have made our experience so much better. When it comes down to making a tough decision like this, I think those are some of the things that come top of mind. It’s family. It’s relationships. You know, being where you want to be. …
“We love Tampa. We love it here.”
Godwin didn’t give any details about where he is in his recovery, but said it is on schedule. And really, who would bet against him?
“If you ask me, I’m right where I’m supposed to be,” Godwin said. “It’s a different injury from the last one. These things take time. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, you can’t rush the process. … I’ve never been someone that put goals down in that way because I think if you’re too focused on the future, you’ll miss the opportunity that you have right now."
Godwin talked about another opportunity, the one to continue to be part of the best receiver tandem in NFL history with Mike Evans. Currently, they rank fifth in combined receiving yards 16,372 behind the likes of the Rams' Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, the 49ers' Jerry Rice and John Taylor, the Dolphins' Mark Clayton and Mark Duper and the Colts' Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.
“It’s rare to have two guys operate the way we do,” Godwin said. “With the abilities we have to be on the same team for this long, it’s something that I’m extremely proud of, something I’m extremely fortunate to be a part of.”
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on Instagram, X and Facebook.