Bucs’ $60 million wide receiver is headed to the AFC East in a proposed trade.
With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers boast one of the best wide receiver tandems in the NFL for a hefty price.
Evans avoided free agency by agreeing to a 2-year, $52 million contract in March 2024, following his NFL record-setting 10th season of at least 1,000 receiving yards in 2023.
After playing the 2021 season under the franchise tag, Godwin, who had three seasons in a row with at least 1,000 receiving yards, inked a three-year, $60 million contract in 2022.
That is a large sum of money, and NBC Sports Phil Perry of Boston outlined a specific scenario in which Godwin would be sent to the six-time Super Bowl champions through a trade between the New England Patriots and the Buccaneers.
On May 8, Perry stated on NBC Sports Boston’s Arbella Early Edition, “(The Buccaneers) have, in my opinion, indicated that they were looking to build some receiver depth, maybe to give them a little bit of flexibility just in case they want to move on from somebody like Chris Godwin.” “Because they selected Washington’s Jalen McMillan in the third round, who somewhat resembles Chris Godwin in style of play. Both of them are quite large slots.
Therefore, if ownership — or the Bucs in particular — is observing this and thinking, “We just gave a lot of real guaranteed money to Mike Evans, real guaranteed money to Baker Mayfield, we can’t keep everybody,” then that is what will happen. Godwin is about to be lost to us, possibly for nothing. Right now, we need something in exchange, so that sounds like a bargain I could get behind. Since he would be your No. 1 if you were the New England Patriots, even if he isn’t a true No. 1.
Bucs Spent a Lot of Money During the 2024 Offseason
Not just Evans profited from his time with the Buccaneers in the 2024 offseason.
Once thought to as a stopgap quarterback, Baker Mayfield transformed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Bucs in 2023 into a three-year, $100 million contract extension. This came after Mayfield made his first Pro Bowl and guided the team to the NFC South Division title for three straight years.
Wide receiver added by the Buccaneers in the 2024 NFL Draft
Godwin has been among the top wide receivers in the NFL for his entire career, going from being a third-round selection out of Penn State in 2017 to an NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2019.
The Bucs are hopeful that Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan, a third-round selection in 2024, would be able to accomplish the same.
In 2022, McMillan caught 79 passes for 1,098 yards and 9 touchdowns; however, he missed five games due to injury. In 2023, he caught 39 passes for 526 yards and 4 scores, trailing only fellow wide receiver Rome Odunze, the Chicago Bears’ No. 9 overall pick.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein described McMillan as a “slot target with good size and production over the last two seasons” in his pre-draft assessment. “McMillan is a field stretcher with a lengthy stride who excels at utilizing momentum routes in a West Coast passing system. Teams must decide whether McMillan is a stand-alone talent outside of UW or if he was a product of the potent passing strategy at Washington.
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