Report: Chris Godwin, Buccaneers Agree to 3-Year, $60M Contract After Franchise Tag

AP Photo/Alex Menendez

Wide receiver Chris Godwin agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract extension Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The deal reportedly includes $40 million in fully guaranteed money at signing.

This comes one week after Tampa Bay placed the franchise tag on the wideout.

Since being drafted in the third round of the 2017 draft, the 26-year-old has spent his first five seasons with the Buccaneers and played under the franchise tag in 2021. He recorded 98 receptions for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games before suffering a torn ACL that ended his season and sent his free agency into a state of flux.

After emerging as one of the most sure-handed receivers in football and a trusted underneath option for Tom Brady, Godwin seemed destined to cash out on the open market, though his knee injury complicated his status. In the end, though, the Buccaneers opted to reward him with a nice multiyear deal.

The Penn State product was injured Dec. 19, giving him less than a nine-month recovery period between then and Week 1. ACL recovery times vary by player, but slightly over eight months is on the early side of even the most elite athlete’s recovery window.

The good thing for Godwin is that his game is not predicated on huge downfield speed and athleticism. He’s an excellent route-runner and sure-handed threat who has done much of his best work out of the slot.

Once he gets back to 100 percent, there’s little reason to believe he won’t be the same player as last season—or, at the very least, a close proximity.