Chris Godwin heard the same reports as the rest of us when Tom Brady was a free agent a little over a year ago, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver was just as skeptical as many fans. It wasn’t until Godwin got a message from Brady on social media that he believed the two were actually teammates.
Godwin wrote a guest column for NBC Sports on Monday morning in which he discussed what it is like to play with Brady, among other things. He said he heard the reports in March 2020 that Brady had narrowed his decision down to the Bucs and Los Angeles Chargers. Since Brady is from California, Godwin assumed the quarterback was heading out west.
“And I was like, well, it’s gonna be weird seeing Tom in a Chargers jersey, after seeing him with the Patriots for so long. He’s from California. Maybe he wanted to go home,” Godwin wrote. “I mean, both teams have a good set of skill players. They have Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and they had Hunter Henry. They had some good players. I thought there was no shot he’d come to Tampa. What would really draw him here?”
Godwin said he then heard a report that Tampa Bay had agreed to a contract with Brady. He was still in denial until he checked his phone and had a notification that Brady had sent him a message on Instagram. Godwin was stunned when he realized it was “the real Tom.”
Here’s more of Godwin’s story:
Let me pull it up on my phone. March 17. He said he was excited to play with me, he’s watched me a lot over the years. He even threw a college joke in there: ‘I won’t hold it against you that you’re a Penn State guy.’
Then he said congrats on your engagement.
I had just gotten engaged. And the greatest player of all time is DM-ing me wishing me good luck with my engagement and saying he’s excited to play with me! That was just shocking to me. I get drafted by Tampa, never thinking I’d ever have a chance to play with Tom Brady, and now, in the prime of my career, he’s gonna be my quarterback.
Godwin went on to describe Brady as “the friendliest guy.” He said he was wondering if Brady would be demanding the way many have said Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were, but he was surprised when Brady was approachable and receptive to his teammates’ ideas.
Brady has been playing for so long that many of his teammates grew up watching him. That’s why the level of respect is unprecedented, which we were reminded of when Godwin explained why Brady’s pregame Super Bowl speech was so effective.
Players know they’re in the presence of a legend when they’re around Brady, but he sees himself as their equal. That’s a big reason why he’s still winning Super Bowls in his mid-40s.
The Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski Tampa party continues! Treat yourself or a friend with this great Tampa Fiesta shirt. You can buy it here.
