Jason Licht Talks Chris Godwin’s Future
December 2nd, 2019
Jogging into a payday.
After this season, the Bucs will have a decision to make.
Let Chris Godwin be grossly underpaid in the final year of his rookie contract (less than $1 million) or lock him up with a long-term contract.
The words from general manager Jason Licht yesterday sure made it seem like the latter will be the organizational play.
“He’s the poster child for consistency,” Licht said of Godwin on the Buccaneers Radio Network. “He literally gets better every day. … Now the leadership in him is starting to come out as he talks to the young [players]. … I hope he’s a Buc for a long time.”
Joe always gets a laugh out of Licht or any professional GM saying they hope a player is on their team for a long time. Hope? It’s in their power to make it happen. Hope isn’t much of a factor.
“[Godwin’s] having a hell of a year. [Bruce Arians] called it as soon as he got here. We got two receivers that can have over 1,000 yards,” Licht added.
Frankly, Joe thinks the Bucs would be foolish to hold off on paying Godwin. Wave enough guaranteed cash in front of his nose this winter and you’ll likely end up with a deal significantly less than what it would cost the team after the 2020 season.
Licht opened the vault for Lavonte David after just three seasons, and that turned out very well.
The Bucs will have more big team-building decisions than usual after this season.
Jason Pierre-Paul, Shaq Barrett, Ndamukong Suh and Carl Nassib are all pending free agents. So are Peyton Barber, Demar Dotson, Breshad Perriman and Jameis Winston. Guaranteed money for Cameron Brate and Ryan Jensen will be dried up, too.
The Bucs can’t pay everyone and a load of smart calls must be made, which frankly scares the heck out of Joe.
But Joe wouldn’t hesitate to make Godwin a priority, assuming he finishes the season healthy.
December 2nd, 2019 at 5:06 am
Hope is used to intentionally defer to the player’s choice. Why would JL diminish his own bargaining power by saying even close to “we will do what it takes to make it happen?” That would be stupid. It goes without saying the Bucs want Godwin on the team, but the cost and timing are key. Yes, would be great to lock up Godwin now for longer, but again, at what cost. If you know you will play him anyway, then look at first priorities: Barrett, JPP, Nassib. These guys will not be back next year unless you address them now. Also, don’t assume the WR corps is a “happy family.” They ALL want the ball, ALL the time. There is a good chance that Godwin wants to be a #1–as he will be paid as one either way. There is a reasonable expectation that if Godwin starts to get what he wants, ME13 wants out. Then there are Brate and Howard. First things first. Save the D, preserve the receiving corps in tact now, then do Godwin.
December 2nd, 2019 at 5:16 am
“Smart Calls” and Jason Licht.
What better example of an oxymoron.
December 2nd, 2019 at 5:20 am
Barrett,JPP, Suh, and Winston should be prioritized
December 2nd, 2019 at 5:37 am
Let Godwin wait. Too many other expenses to fret over at this point, and adding another makes no sense…unless it is done after everyone else is taken care of and there is cap room left.
December 2nd, 2019 at 5:37 am
“Patriots rookie wr Harry is a bust. That’s why they overpaid average Sanu for a 2nd rd pick
There is alot of 1st round wr busts in the draft year after year
Godwin trade value is #10 pick in the 1st pick
Higher than #1 we coming out
**MeMe is worth #15 in first round
**Gump Goal is to get top 2 lineman in the draft”
Kobe Faker
December 2nd, 2019 at 5:38 am
AKITBN:
You mean, the guy who made the smart call to bring nearly every single one of those guys in the door? That’s guy you don’t think knows how to keep (or replace) them? *smh*
Sure, Licht’s made some blunders. Every single NFL GM has. Every single one. A couple of Licht’s misses were high-round picks that got a lot of media attention. That’s understandable. It’s also pretty normal. We don’t see the sausage factory of other teams’ off-seasons day-in and day-out like we see the Bucs’. We end up with a pretty skewed perception of the process the Bucs go through. We have a roster filled with talent on both sides of the ball the likes of which may not have happened here before. Licht gave us that.
December 2nd, 2019 at 5:46 am
Re: William Walls:
A 32-60 record.
As you say…Licht gave us that.
December 2nd, 2019 at 5:59 am
Licht is terrible but even he knows Godwin is a stud we can’t let go….I hope.
December 2nd, 2019 at 6:07 am
hope licht isnt around to make that decision
December 2nd, 2019 at 6:50 am
Y’all are crazy for calling JL a bad GM. he picks the players that most likely his coaches want. Jason doesn’t have a hand in development department. That’s the coaches job. We haven’t had coaches who can develop the talent that was brought in until this past offseason. Yes Jason’s record is nasty but again the GM isn’t out there game planning installing schemes an so fourth that again is on coaches. yes we are in salary cap hell but that’s just means we have drafted well an signed our players who have produced an done well individually. ME13 produced got big contract same thing with Brate LVD marpet an a few others part of the business the only one I’m not thrilled but understand is donavon smith he got big bucks for being average but the dude has never missed a game so like the great bill parcells says your best trait is availablity so again coaches need to develop an have players prepared to win games an manage games our GM isn’t perfect far from it but he is loading this team with talent that now is being developed if your mad about that then your not a real fan
December 2nd, 2019 at 6:51 am
even on an off day, godwin and evans had about 8 grabs for 100 yards…
if you divide that in half, and prorate it over 16 games, it’s still an impressive 64 grabs for 800 yards each for the season…
and people act like they did nothing yesterday…
our 2 stud receivers had average days…which is fine sometimes…
they cant go 10 for 170 every week
December 2nd, 2019 at 6:58 am
You got Godwin cheap for one more year, don’t reward him for one great year. This is what bad organizations do.
Can’t overpay everyone like Licht likes to do
December 2nd, 2019 at 6:59 am
i think a lot of one year contract bucs are going to want to remain here if we fin out strong…
let’s say we go 8-8, as i originally predicted…
the idea for next year is 11-5 and the playoffs, and the year after 12-4 or better and the superbowl…
if players have this type vision they will want to stick around for a minute…
we should contend for a title in 2021 if the building blocks have been put in place correctly, and arians and company develop this potentially new found winning culture…
so veterans should want to sign a workable deal if they want a ring…
if they only play for the money, they can go elsewhere and get a tad more…we don’t want them anyway
December 2nd, 2019 at 7:03 am
also i always worry about godwin getting injured, because after the catch he basically acts like a running back if given the opportunity for yac…
#HeTakesAyeBeatingOnGameday #EvansIsVeryCarefulAfterTheCatch
December 2nd, 2019 at 7:03 am
go bucs ! 🙂
December 2nd, 2019 at 7:11 am
what really doomed this season is the 0-4 2nd quarter of the season…
basically at no point in the season can you drop 4 in a row (facts) (especially at the start of the season)…once you drop 4 in a row, even if you play excellent football the rest of the time…say going 8-4, you still only finish out at 8-8…
the 0-4 2nd quarter of the season ruined us
1st quarter: 2-2
2nd quarter: 0-4
3rd quarter: 3-1
4th quarter: to be determined
#GoZeroAndFourAndYouAreDone #Finito
December 2nd, 2019 at 7:18 am
Pay Godwin, JPP and maybe Winston. Forget Suh need a younger faster player and Barrett if he doesn’t want a ton of money but with 14.5 sacks hes going to want at least 18 mil too much.
December 2nd, 2019 at 7:32 am
Kobe Faker,
Please use Grammarly and a Spell Checker. You need the help.
December 2nd, 2019 at 7:48 am
Give him a restructured 1 year contract with a fully guarantee of $3mil. We have too many guys to resign before we sign him to a long term. If there’s money left over after signing our draftees then pay him more. One thing that will help FAs decide to leave for greener pastures is the sight they see in Ray Jay every Sunday. People blame the product on the field but the sad sack Browns have sucked longer than we have and their fans are rabid for their team and fill their stadium. The Seahawks sucked for a while but their fans still filled their stadium every Sunday. The Rays went to the World Series and still the next year attendance still sucked. This year they went to the playoffs and still couldn’t sell out a game. It’s kind of understandable but then again not. People in the Tampa St Pete area always give tons of excuses. If you love your team support them if not then become a fan of another team. If we had more fans like Big Nasty then our stadium. would be filled every week.
December 2nd, 2019 at 7:52 am
It is not always within the power of the GM or Owner to procure a player….the player has a choice also…..so hope is appropriate.
I’m sure Hugh Culverhouse hoped Bo Jackson would be a Buc.
December 2nd, 2019 at 7:55 am
Landchop why do guys like you have to point out grammar errors on certain posters? This is a bulletin board not English 101. You try to drag someone down since you think you’re superior. Of course you and I know why you picked Kobe.
December 2nd, 2019 at 7:57 am
Tbbf nice reference Bo. I meant to say something about that hope thing as well. It takes two to tango so money isn’t always the bait needed to haul in the big fish.
December 2nd, 2019 at 8:11 am
Agree with Joe. Why make one of our most consistent players disgruntled. the best chance to keep him is to sign him early to a contract that makes
everybody happy.
I would love to keep all four of the defensive free agents Joe mentioned. They all are great additions to the team. Suh and Vea go together like peanut butter and jelly. Suh brings an attitude and a knack for being around the ball when it counts.
You get maximum effort from JPP and Barrett and a good rotation in
Nassib.
Somehow we are starting a to turn this defense around. All the pieces fit,
don’t fix what aint broken,Jason!
December 2nd, 2019 at 8:11 am
“Frankly, Joe thinks the Bucs would be foolish to hold off on paying Godwin.”
I dont get this logic. Why pay guys early? I’ve never understood it.
The Bucs should wait. Dont pay guys early.
December 2nd, 2019 at 8:17 am
Pay Godwin. This kid is a rare commodity. He runs great routes, he gets YAC, he can block, he catches EVERYTHING that comes near him and he’s fearless. Lock him into a contract ASAP. Other teams WILL be willing to give him the money he deserves if we don’t.
December 2nd, 2019 at 8:35 am
Adam from ny … Excellent point about going 0-4 in the 2nd quarter of the season. Extremely difficult to make the playoffs with a 4-game losing streak like that, especially in the NFC. Two of those games were winnable IMO (Titans & Seahawks) but we let victory slip away. Winners play CONSISTENT FOOTBALL and that’s not exactly what a 4-game losing streak leads to.
You’re also correct about Evans & Godwin being studs even on ‘average’ days like yesterday. IMO they’re BOTH Top-5 WRs. Nice problem to have … while one is making first contract money. Problem though when BOTH are being paid Top-5 money, IF you also pay your QB Top-5 money, over half of your OLine Top-5 money for their positions, AND your TEs big money. The numbers simply don’t work … UNLESS you don’t care about BALANCE. Then what you get is a defense made up of a bunch of youngsters on their first contract plus some FAs on try-before-buy 1-year contracts plus some low-paid depth players. Kinda describes us?
Well the good news is that the defense is maturing fast & the pieces seem to be gelling. With a rejuvenated pass rush & improving coverage like we’re seeing, this defense has the makings of a Top-10 defense IMO. As long as this defense continues to improve these last 4 games, I’m of the opinion that we keep the band together, for the most part. Pay Barrett, JPP and Suh first, they’re ALL iron-men and they’re ALL playing at a high level right now. I’d also re-sign Nassib, Nunez-Roches, Minter & Ryan Smith, for the right price of course. Draft a DT to replace Allen (he’s a FA) and/or a DE/OLB to develop, sign 2 quality veterans (CB & Safety) and the defense should be in good shape for a playoff run in 2020 and/or 2021.
Problem is … it’ll cost MORE $$$ to do that than we’re now allocating to our defense ($59 mil right now). Someplace in the $70-$80 mil neighborhood is my guess. The 49ers provide a good model for our defense. This year they have $72.7 mil going to their defense, but it’ll probably be more next year. Their offense costs $86.5 mil, far below our $98.5 mil offense, BUT … they have a better offense/defense BALANCE. Their 10-2 record seems to indicate that it’s paying off.
December 2nd, 2019 at 8:43 am
Kenny, remember those busts that Licht has drafted like Robert Herron,and Kenny Bell. IMO if Jason has found a stud, then do what it takes to keep him.
Its usually fiscally responsible to extend early. rather than compete with the large number of teams smart enough to overpay for a player like Godwin.
December 2nd, 2019 at 9:45 am
It all depends on what they do at the QB position. All of the potential FA’s on this team hang in the balance on that one decision.
December 2nd, 2019 at 9:51 am
Resigning Barrett is a must, resigning one of either JPP or Nassib is a must. Dotson is gone, Brate is likely gone, Suh is likely gone unless he wants to go team friendly which he has never done in the past, Jensen they will likely keep.
The Dotson, Brate, and Suh money is probably close to enough to get Barrett and one of the other DE’s signed, so that’s almost even money.
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:22 am
Can’t read the article because of ads wth.
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:37 am
He is who he is …with and because of FAMOUS….players have to realize that getting every dime you can from a team will not get you championships!!
December 2nd, 2019 at 10:40 am
Godwin has to be retained. Plain and simple. We have two #1 WRs. I have a feeling that Godwin wants to get paid but that he is also extremely smart and wants to stay where he is successful. He is a team first guy and should make great money but I don’t think he is trying to break the bank. He’s humble.
Carl Nassib might be affordable. Bucs took a chance on him, he’s loved here. His numbers are decent but don’t show the effort and leadership he provides. He is another team guy. His motor is fantastic.
JPP is local, he knows we love him, it seems he likes it here, another guy with great leadership. Coming off a serious injury and his numbers will be a little down as he ventures into his 30’s… perhaps he gives us a discount as well.
Both of these guys know that no state income tax is huge. I hold out hope that JPP, Nassib, and Godwin will all be re-signed. The contracts for our secondary don’t even start coming up for another 2-3 seasons, we have that in our favor. If we retain Winston, we can’t do better in the short term in the draft or free agency, we go into the draft looking for a RT, DL to replace Suh, and possibly another RB and depth OL. We will be in good shape. This is a team that is coming together and will contend in 2020 if we don’t suffer any major setbacks.
December 2nd, 2019 at 11:04 am
There is a lot of money coming off the books and we have to sign play makers and leaders and players to be had at a decent price.
Shaq and JPP should both be signed back. They have proven themselves. Suh maybe cheaper than what he cost this year. Obviously he didnt have many suiters this past offseason. If he wants more let him walk and draft a DT (Kinlaw)
Winston should be signed back around 22-24 a year 3 years with a team option 3rd year based on qb’s of his tier. (Allows flexibility to draft a QB in the 2021 draft and start in the 2022 season and cut JW.) If he thinks he is getting 27-30 mil let him walk.
Waive Gholston allow Nassib and Allen to walk unless they come back cheap. Might be the end of the road for Brate. Hold onto Dotson for depth purposes.
Tampa will have about 80 million in cap space. A few cap saving moves (Gholston and Brate) could put them around 90 mil.
December 2nd, 2019 at 2:52 pm
Bucs looks like that have a lot of cap space but you have only one offensive tackle on the roster, one defensive tackle, one defensive end, one quarterback, which tells me there is no depth on next year’s roster. The money is going to go fast.
December 2nd, 2019 at 9:05 pm
Sign Godwin, JPP and Shaq — it’s too difficult to find guys like this we’ve seen. Re-sign Nassib and Perriman if you can get them at the right price. Same with Gholston and Allen. Let Suh and Dotson walk. Suh is on the slide down and Dotson is done. Draft a DT IN 1st (Brown from Auburn) and RT in the 2nd.
The question remains with Jameis. The next 4 weeks will help Licht and the Glazers to decide including for how long if they want to keep him.
Draft rds 3rd and beyond are RB and dependent how many of the “at the right price” they can get. Get a DB through FA.