Few were impacted more by Mike Evans departing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than Chris Godwin.
The 2026 season will be Godwin’s first without Evans next to him in Tampa Bay’s wide receiver room. Evans made the surprising decision Monday to sign with the San Francisco 49ers, marking the end of his 12-year run with the Buccaneers. Nine of those seasons were with Godwin by his side.
Godwin was left speechless by Evans’ move to the West Coast. He reposted the news with a single sad-faced emoji as his caption.
— Chris Godwin (@CGtwelve_) March 9, 2026
The Buccaneers drafted Godwin in 2017, and it didn’t take long before he turned into a lethal second-option for the team behind Evans. Godwin recorded four seasons of 1,000+ receiving yards next to Evans, who is famously tied with Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in NFL history.
The pair proved to be a Super Bowl-caliber duo in 2019 when Tom Brady signed with the Buccaneers. Evans and Godwin tallied 153 catches for 2,490 yards and 17 touchdowns between them during the banner year that ended with them hoisting the Lombardi Trophy together. With Evans reaching the twilight years of his career, the 6-time Pro Bowler wants to chase that feeling again.
Despite Tampa Bay making a serious bid to keep Evans a Buccaneer for life, money was far from the biggest factor in Evans’ decision to leave.
