Chris Godwin agreed to a new deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the start of NFL free agency on Monday, and he reportedly left a lot of money on the table by doing so.
Godwin and the Bucs have agreed to a 3-year, $66 million contract that will keep the veteran wide receiver with the team. The deal includes $45 million guaranteed at signing, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.
An average annual salary of $22 million places Godwin just barely inside the top 20 highest-paid players at his position. Even with Godwin coming off a major injury, the belief was that he would command a much larger deal in free agency.
According to Rapoport, Godwin could have gotten more — much more. During an NFL Network free agency special on Monday, Rapoport said Godwin was offered roughly $20 million more from a team other than the Bucs, but the 29-year-old turned it down.
The details are always important. It is possible the other offer or offers had more money tied to incentives and less guarantees. Either way, there were almost certainly teams that were willing to pay Godwin more than $22 million per year.
Godwin suffered a gruesome leg injury in Week 7 last year, but there have been no concerns about him making a full recovery. His new contract reflects that.
Prior to the injury, Godwin had been having an outstanding season. He had 50 catches for 576 yards and 5 touchdowns and was by far Baker Mayfield’s favorite target. Godwin had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons entering 2024.
Godwin obviously feels he has a good situation in Tampa, which is why he was willing to give a hometown discount. As for which teams offered him more money than the Bucs, one seems fairly obvious.
