There were several teams keeping an eye on veteran Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin as the NFL free agency window approached.
But the Bucs kept their eye on the ball and re-signed one of their most productive players to a three-year contract on March 10, the first day of official NFL free agency.
As offseason player movement heats up, we keep up with NFL developments as part of our Florida sports betting coverage. With Godwin agreeing to a $66 million contract ($45 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network), we look at the biggest contracts for wide receivers:
Rank | Player, Team | $ Value |
1 | Justin Jefferson, Vikings | $140,000,000 |
2 | CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys | $136,000,000 |
3 | D.K. Metcalf, Steelers | $132,000,000 |
20 | Chris Godwin, Buccaneers | $66,000,000 |
Godwin’s new deal makes him one of the 20 highest-paid receivers over the length of their contract in the NFL, which is fitting for the production he has given the Bucs over his eight-year career in pewter and red. He also helps keep Tampa Bay Buccaneers playoff chances a reasonable proposition heading into 2025 as the team pursues its sixth consecutive playoff berth (the current five-year run is the longest in franchise history).
The 29-year-old out of Penn State has four 1,000-yard seasons, including three in a row from 2021-23. He was well on pace for a fourth in a row last season when a dislocated left ankle ended his season after seven games. He was leading the league in catches with 50 when he was injured.
Godwin’s numbers are even more impressive when you consider that he has not been the No. 1 receiver for most of his tenure with Tampa Bay. Mike Evans has compiled 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, tying Jerry Rice’s NFL record. But Evans has not always had the gaudiest stats on his own team – Godwin has led the Bucs in receiving yards twice and in touchdown catches during his 2019 Pro Bowl season.
Godwin is second in franchise history for receiving yards (7,266), catches (579) and receiving touchdowns (39), all behind only Evans.
Team | Percentage Chance |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 100.0% |
In a previous version of this story, we had ranked teams in order of how likely they were to pursue Godwin.
We rated the Washington Commanders as the favorite among outside teams at +550, followed by the New England Patriots at +700. The Commanders have since acquired Deebo Samuel from the 49ers and New England signed journeyman WR Mack Hollins (but the Pats would probably do well to draft more receiving help).
The most likely outcome for Godwin on our board was that he would either stay put at Raymond James Stadium or go to a team off our board; the combined odds for either was -150. That turned out to be the correct call because Godwin will get to keep his parking space at One Buc Place for another three years – and fans flocking to the corner of N Dale Mabry Highway and W Tampa Bay Boulevard will enjoy the Bucs’ Big 3 of Evans, Godwin and quarterback Baker Mayfield for the foreseeable future.
At Hard Rock Bet Florida Sportsbook, the only legal online sports betting outlet in the Sunshine State for the time being, the Bucs have +3000 odds to win Super Bowl 60 in February 2026.
USA Today photo by Brett Davis
Author
Jim Tomlin has 30-plus years of experience in Florida journalism, mostly in sports. The University of South Florida graduate has worked at the Tampa Bay Times, FanRag, Saturday Down South and Saturday Tradition and now lends his expertise to FloridaBet.com as a writer and editor.
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