Trading Chris Godwin
February 9th, 2023
Bad idea.
If the Bucs do this, they may as well pull the pin and blow up the roster, and do a complete rebuild whether Todd Bowles likes it or not.
Dan Pizzuta of Sharp Football Analysis did a breakdown of quarterback-needy teams in dangerous salary cap situations. Hello, Bucs.
Pizzuta floated the notion that one way for the Bucs to clear cap space and would be to unload stud receiver Chris Godwin.
Godwin could be the tipping point for where the Buccaneers envision themselves as a team in the future. He could be the most promising trade chip and Tampa Bay would open up $8.75 million in cap space with a trade but a majority of his remaining money comes from a $20 million salary in 2023 and $18.5 million in 2024. Both of those figures could easily be restructured to a signing bonus and pushed out through the two void years already on Godwin’s deal in 2025 and 2026.
Here’s the thing: If the Bucs trade Godwin now, they are selling him cheap. Godwin wasn’t quite 100 percent recovered from his knee surgery last year until maybe the last couple of games of the season.
That’s enough to keep Godwin’s price tag down. So what the Bucs could get for a healthy Godwin, say if they wanted to trade him in 2024, won’t be close to what they get for him by trading him before the 2023 season.
You don’t sell low.
To Joe, Godwin is a Bucs jewel and will be a critical piece for the next quarterback, whoever that may be.
If the Bucs do ship Godwin for a below-market price, then it’s time to have a firesale, that’s all there is to it. Load up on draft picks, tank with Kyle Trask, and with that stockpile of draft picks you then have ammo to go get Caleb Williams.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:10 am
Oh please, this team is in trouble, if they do something like this there will be a fan revolt…..also, the way things are going, NO ONE WANTS THIS OC JOB –why, there’s no QB…..it would be professional suicide……
February 9th, 2023 at 8:11 am
If the Bucs’ intention was to tank after Brady retired or goes to another team, then the Trask draft pick makes absolutely no sense.
The Bucs are not going to tank and Godwin isn’t going anywhere.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:11 am
Stop with the “tanking” talk……it is the epitome of a losing culture…
Now, if you are saying….cut expensive FAs….go with Trask/Gabbert and let the chips fall where they may with our record….OK……
But no player or coach worth being in the league will ever deliberately lose.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:12 am
Yea, no. Extension? sure. Restructure? if it works yes, but trade Chris Godwin? no.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:14 am
Yes, Evans too. Trade all the old pro’s.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:15 am
If I even suspect that they are tanking I will not renew my 4 seats pass member since 98 and have seen a lot of garbage no more I say
February 9th, 2023 at 8:20 am
Actually, I think the only “untouchables” are Wirfs and our punter. Really like Winfield, but if concussions are starting to pile up, he might be tradeable as well.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:22 am
So Wayne. Respect you as a fan. But what kind of a year do you expect next year…and the year after? And maybe the way you think is the reason they won’t do a major rebuild, and would be more satisfied with multiple .500 seasons.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:22 am
Set him free !
I love him!
February 9th, 2023 at 8:25 am
Call it what you want if your relying on Trask or Gabbert your tanking. If your a member of the Bucs staff you can’t say it because you will be penalized and lose your number one pick.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:26 am
Do that and I have two words, “Go Jags”. I’ll be back when we try to win again. I’m not spending a season rooting for my team to lose. Life is too short to embrace intentional losing.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:26 am
There’s no way in hell the Bucs trade CG. Nothing to see here.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:30 am
Godwin is too unreliable due to his style of play. You’ll rarely get a full season from him. He also has bouts of drops and turnovers. I honestly believe we would be fine with Evans/Gage or Godwin/Gage.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:30 am
Dan is smoking crack if he thinks that trading Godwin is the solution. What a dunce.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:32 am
No. Bucs don’t need to trade away Godwin and definitely don’t need to kick the can any further down the road.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:38 am
Bucs = Rays
Except the Rays know how to play the talent vs reward game
Godwin is a possession WR
February 9th, 2023 at 8:39 am
Can you imagine this:
Licht: “I know! Let’s trade all of our best veteran players so we can go get college kids!”
The advertisers demand traffic! Let’s just write some aggravating crap and see if people click.
Guilty.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:43 am
If they trade Godwin or Evans I would be pissed off
February 9th, 2023 at 8:54 am
Godwin isn’t part of the problem. He is part of the solution. Somewhere at least. I just don’t know we are positioning ourselves to solve anything at this point in time.
February 9th, 2023 at 8:56 am
I’m tired of listening to all this. TAMPA CANNOT RUN THE FOOTBALL! We need to draft O’Cyrus Torrence at left guard. He is a road grader. We need a better left tackle. THESE are immediate needs. Trask deserves a chance to sling the ball with the starters and see what he can do. At Florida he waited til he got his chance and showed what he could do and how prepared he was. He just apprenticed for 2 years behind the GOAT. He deserves his shot. Then in the 6th or 7th round draft Max Duggan out of TCU who is expected to be around then.
February 9th, 2023 at 9:03 am
Keep Godwin.
No tank!
Go Bucs!!!
February 9th, 2023 at 9:04 am
I would be sad to see Godwin go but if he stays I hope he gets his fumbling problem under control next season…
It’s obvious he has become a “marked man” after several fumbles.
February 9th, 2023 at 9:09 am
Gotta stay ahead of the curve
Prune the roster and watch it thrive with new growth
February 9th, 2023 at 9:10 am
Trade Mike Evans. He’s old, slow and would save a lot for the cap.
February 9th, 2023 at 9:31 am
I think Chris is a marked man on the field. They can’t cover him, and if you really watch, you will see DB’s are trying to injure him, not just tackle him, on nearly every catch. Odd the league will allow that, but you better not scrape a QB’s helmet with your fingernail. SMH.
February 9th, 2023 at 9:34 am
These are the type of articles Bucs fans read and then they actually believe leading them to think this team is zero
The Bucs wouldn’t even entertain this
The only Godwin question is does he switch back to #12
February 9th, 2023 at 9:37 am
Trade Godwin???? WTF are you smoking???
February 9th, 2023 at 9:44 am
The Bucs should keep their good players. 😉
February 9th, 2023 at 9:46 am
For all the misery this off-season, there are some must haves on this team and CG is one of them
Wirfs, Winfield, Evans & CG, Jensen, Vea
These are our only pillars currently under contract and none of them should be trade bait this year, if ever
I’d put LVD there too, but no contract and we are in cap Haities
February 9th, 2023 at 9:48 am
Not sure what I typed to get moderated, sorry about that
February 9th, 2023 at 9:48 am
Some very hard decisions coming up this year, and there are sure to be casualties, and Chris may very well be one of them. There is a lot of chatter about us trading BOTH this and next years number one picks + a bunch of 2nd rounders to move up in this draft.
The idea is to get high enough to draft the Kentucky QB.
I am not into this move
February 9th, 2023 at 9:53 am
Bucs should look at the trade market for its players that are 30 or older.
The Bucs can try to be average or rip the band aid off for the 2023
February 9th, 2023 at 10:04 am
ocala…you might have a great point. If this team isn’t likely to make it deep into the playoffs within a couple years, it would be better to get value for players over 30. Their days in the league are numbered as it is. And if we can add and replace them with some guys under 25 with skills and good upsides, why not?
February 9th, 2023 at 10:06 am
@Chris
I wouldn’t trade up for Will Levis either, as he hurt his draft buzz and stock with how he performed in 2022. Still got all the physical tools, but I’m sure he’ll get asked “what was the thought process here” when his film is reviewed at the combine *& throughout the draft process.
February 9th, 2023 at 10:08 am
Man Chris…you seem like a bright guy. If I had a house in Florida anymore and a roof to be done, I’d contact you first. You seem to have it together. I don’t know how you guys stand the heat in the Florida sun during the summer, but more power to you. I hear it can even melt your shoes.
February 9th, 2023 at 10:09 am
NO F^KING WAY DO YOU EVER TRADE GODWIN!
PERIOD!
February 9th, 2023 at 10:20 am
Joe Keeps Saying: “tank with Kyle Trask”
You mean like the Eagles tanked with Jalen Hurts when he had a terrible rookie season and then had a bad training camp going into his second season and then in his third season is going to the Super Biowl? Did Trask do something horrible to someone you love or something? That would explain a lot.
February 9th, 2023 at 10:32 am
Like the rest he is worth every penny of his million dollar a game salary.
February 9th, 2023 at 10:40 am
Keep Godwin, pick up a Baker Mayfield if you can afford him and let Trask battle Mayfield for the job. Don’t just give it to Mayfield, have a real QB competition.
February 9th, 2023 at 10:40 am
U might as well put a fork in us. Who is the new Qb gonna throw to if u get rid of all are playmaker. Smh…
February 9th, 2023 at 10:44 am
Please do not Tank for the undersized QB from USC …Baker, Winston, ,Murry there is no for sure thing with the number pick at QB .
February 9th, 2023 at 10:53 am
Why would the Bucs talk about culture and get rid of it at the same time?
February 9th, 2023 at 10:56 am
No!!
February 9th, 2023 at 11:18 am
I know that the media loves discussions like this Joe, but damned, CG14 has always been part of the SOLUTION, never part of the problem. The fact that he got injured in 2021 isn’t on him; it’s on the Saints who were targeting him.
Chris has had a sterling 6-year career with the Bucs, and he’s a beast. His stats speak for themselves: 87 games in 6 years (that’s 14.5 games/year average, exceptional for a WR who’s on the field as much as he is, who catches as many balls as he does, and who blocks better than just about any other WR). He’s got 4,488 offensive snaps under his belt, an average of 748 snaps a year & an average availability of a tad over 69%. How many WRs average that amount of field time over a 6-year span?
Not to mention that Godwin is our most consistent WR when it comes to catching the ball. He’s averaged 71.5% catch percentage in his career (ME13 in comparison has averaged 57.6% in his 9-year career, while Gage has averaged 68.3% in his 5-year career. Throw in Chris’ 32 TDs (over 5 per season average) & his 289 first downs (almost 50 per season average) and I’d say his 3-year, $60 mil contract is easily in line for a WR with his talent. He’s the type of player we should be building around for at least the next 3-5 years.
And BTW, Chris’ salary averages $20 mil per year, but last year his CAP hit was only $5 mil. So the Bucs kicked $15 mil of his salary hit to the outyears. Chris has gotten his money, but that CAP hit is something we’d surely have to eat if we traded CG14. We’re better off keeping him as a building block & restructuring his contract as needed.
February 9th, 2023 at 11:21 am
Yall reaching with this one smh
February 9th, 2023 at 11:27 am
Everybody says the Bucs need to get faster at the skilled positions and they look old and slow.
So how do you get faster at receiver without replacing the slow ones?
Godwin is great at doing the grunt work out of the slot but is not going to run away from anybody and is absolutely no downfield threat.
I really hope the Bucs keep him but if he is traded hopefully they replace him with somebody faster and more explosive
February 9th, 2023 at 11:49 am
Caleb Williams the next Jonny football for this joe and the next 13 months
February 9th, 2023 at 12:01 pm
Stop. Just stop proposing trades of our best players.
If you’ve ever heard Jason Licht talk about Chris Godwin, you know that such a trade would be like gutting the team, in his mind. There is no way they’d look to trade Godwin.
Now, I’d be happy to talk about trading Devin White. When can we see THAT post?
February 9th, 2023 at 12:25 pm
Yeah, let’s trade one of our two best WR. For what reason? A better season? A rookie WR, one not anywhere near the class of Godwin? To #ColapseforCaleb? Why lose one of the toughest SOB on our team?
Crazy talk.
Go!!!!! Bucs!!!!!
February 9th, 2023 at 12:31 pm
please get rid of the HC not our best players.Dont let the HC tell the owners and GM what to do. With this HC and this Quarterback we have the Bucs will not win a game in 2023.
February 9th, 2023 at 12:53 pm
TRADE EVANS not Godwin.
That’s a no brainer. Evans is on his way down.
February 9th, 2023 at 12:55 pm
Jeff’s grandpa
Exactly. Not on this side of the screen. Everyone remember first pick Jameis “eat me” Winston years? The bandwagon are the only ones that say tank with Kyle Trask. Trask is practice squad to my seven year old daughter at third string playing for Oreos and fairy dust. I like Jason Licht and think he tries to find every way to win now and not tank. A cheap vet and a 5-6 round QB. I still enjoyed watching the Bucs suck for years. Tanking is for p#zzies.
February 9th, 2023 at 1:07 pm
The Anomaly Says:
February 9th, 2023 at 12:53 pm
As in, you have to have NO BRAINS to think it’s a good idea to trade either of them.
Evans had greater yardage production this year than last year despite being iced out of games due to poor gameplanning and playcalling, not to mention Brady missing him more often. His TD production was down for the same reasons. I don’t see that he’s on his way down. He’s an all-time Bucs great, and trading those types of players is ph0uecking moronic.
February 9th, 2023 at 1:21 pm
Sasquatch and Unbelievable,
You guys need to b realistic and get over your love affair with Evans.
He needs to be traded .
Godwin, no way.
February 9th, 2023 at 1:36 pm
Hell to the no!
February 9th, 2023 at 1:45 pm
Doosh, please explain why Evans “needs” to be traded. It’s certainly not obvious to most of us. He has not had a production decline.
Also, if you’re one of the people who complain that nobody wants the Bucs OC job — try floating the candidate an Evans trade and see who wants the job. It’s an insane idea.
Ya know who actually NEEDS to be traded — Devin White.
February 9th, 2023 at 1:51 pm
Evans is the best offensive player the Bucs have ever drafted. A top 5 Bucs player of all time. A probable HOFer. Still produces at a very high level. Unless he’s looking to leave Tampa, the idea of trading him is lunacy, I mean short of a franchise-altering blockbuster offer.
Yeah, I have a love affair with Evans. He was around for the suck times, and he was part of a turnaround. Why would I not love the guy? Good guy, good teammate, great player.
February 9th, 2023 at 2:01 pm
DR
Still mad about that “tackle” the saints made on him and their stupid celebration afterwards…hate that team.
February 9th, 2023 at 3:34 pm
Sasquatch,
I agree with you about Devin White.
My feelings regarding Evans stem from his attitude and lack of route running ability. Yeah, he does some things but I think he’s definitely peaked and now would be the best time for the team to save some money and get some trade capital.
Godwin does so much more than Evans and that’s why I think he’s the keeper.
February 9th, 2023 at 3:38 pm
*draft
February 9th, 2023 at 4:04 pm
I just think Evans has too much left to give him away for a draft pick that has a 50/50 success rate. Also, without him, our offense is down to one real weapon, unless Ra White and/or Cade Otton blow up in their 2nd seasons.
Also, as a fan, I’m not interested in running off guys like Evans. I want to win, but I want to keep the special players around and have traditions and guys we can be proud of. Evans is up there with all the Bucs greats. Godwin is in that same group too.
February 9th, 2023 at 5:14 pm
You start by planning Post-June 1 cuts…Lenny / Bate / Succop / S. Mason / D.Smith / S.Barrett… (LB w/ Achillies at over 30 = not great for return & not worth $$!)…Those 6 cuts clears >$50M cap space…$4.9M/ $4.0M/ $3.25M / $8.5M / $15.25M / $14.6M.
With TB12 retirement juggle… Bucs will be out of Cap Hell…But only have coin for signing draft picks & maybe a Bridge QB….Will need to restructure a handful of core deals to get $$ for other positions of need – with 20+ UFA…There’s a ton of holes to fill!!!
February 9th, 2023 at 5:31 pm
We 1000% consider trading Godwin after this season. He will be healthier and value will higher. The question is who QBs for is. My gut tells me we need to tank. 100%. Bowles is not the answer so just use him as a bridge. The bigger question is what do we do with Licht? He is 100% hit or miss. I think an argument can be made we dump him as well and get “modern” and grab Ran Carthon from the 49ers as G.M.
February 9th, 2023 at 6:32 pm
@catcard,
Cutting Shaq Barrett is impractical because he counts 23 million regardless of whether he’s here or not.
Cutting Shaq Mason is retarded because he’s a better than average to very good starter and he’s not overpaid, and he’s not old.
February 9th, 2023 at 7:13 pm
Trade the owners
February 9th, 2023 at 9:27 pm
If Bowles pulls some stunt like that I pray for his downfall.
February 10th, 2023 at 5:10 am
The first move that must be made is to fire Bowles, whose game calls were some of the worst coaching decisions I have ever seen, and the team’s lack of discipline and penalties put the kibosh on so many crucial drives proves he is not capable of being a Head Coach. I would definitely trade Godwin to get 2 offensive lineman as Ryan Jensen is the only one that is worth keeping and maybe Wirfs but he gets beat on the outside constantly by quick players. If the Bucs could draft Duggan from TCU without giving up anything he is worth using one of their draft picks due to his heart and ability to win games. The Bucs also need a quick wide receiver for the deep balls and Godwin is not that guy and he puts the ball on the ground too many times!!! I would keep Evans over Godwin for his ability to make the catches in the End Zone!!!
February 11th, 2023 at 7:42 pm
I’ve been a Bucs fan since McKay and Doug Williams, so I’ve been thru all the rough years. I would focus on a quarterback, I think sooner rather than later, we need new blood at QB, keep what we have, or we will lose big time if we start dismantling this team. If we dismantle you won’t see another superbowl for another 17 years… give Trask his due.. I think he will surprise