Chris Godwin “Taking It Slow”
June 8th, 2025
Chris Godwin
It’s 13 Sundays from opening day and Joe wouldn’t wager on Chris Godwin being available.
The Godwin smoke coming from One Buc Palace has a funny odor to it.
Joe’s not sure what to believe when it comes to the big-money receiver, Godwin, who signed a fat three-year contract extension in March.
Obviously, the Bucs believe Godwin will make a full recovery. But when?
Do Bucs officials think Godwin will be healthy enough to play this season like he was in 2022 coming off knee surgery? Back in ’02, Godwin was effective but lacked burst and his stats told that story.
A year later, Godwin was in great physical shape, and was even better in 2024 before his gruesome dislocated ankle in October.
That injury is not something the Bucs want to put a timeline on for recovery. There’s “hope” Godwin is ready for Week 1. But that’s really all the team or Godwin has said — other than that Godwin is working diligently, is seemingly on track, and he’s the utmost professional.
A couple of guys with excellent Bucs sources weighed in on Godwin last last week.
“They’re taking it slow with [Godwin]. But I checked with a source on when he’s going to be ready, and they just said, “ASAP,” because that’s his mindset and he’s been busting his backside to get back as soon as possible,” Jeremy Fowler said on ESPN’s NFL Live show.
“So the target has been Week 1, not a slam dunk right now because it’s a gruesome injury and they have to work through that, but the expectation is they get to training camp and he’s certainly a part of the action in some capacity. … They feel like he’s trending in the right direction.”
Then there’s Brian Baldinger. He got a special invitation to watch closed-to-media Bucs practice on Wednesday. On NFL Network’s The Insiders show, Baldinger explained he drove from his Fort Lauderdale home to Tampa and talked to all kinds of folks at One Buc Palace.
His TV take on Emeka Egbuka, the first-round pick whose drafting the Bucs say had nothing to do with Godwin’s injury?
“He’s going to get a good chance to start right away as Chris Godwin gets healthy from an injury a year ago,” Baldinger said.
Joe just hopes Godwin hasn’t had a setback.
June 8th, 2025 at 7:46 pm
I don’t think anyone really knows.
That is my take. It definitely has been kept quiet. However if he us not running some on it, hard to believe he will make training camp.
June 8th, 2025 at 7:50 pm
Perhaps Cris will be available to the media this week for camp, and can give us some answers.
June 8th, 2025 at 7:52 pm
He’s out at least a year. So I would put him back week 6 at the earliest.
He’ll be back
June 8th, 2025 at 7:57 pm
I think his status uncertainty is just a strategic move by the Bucs. It takes the pressure off Godwin and the organization in case he has a setback. It looks worse if they say he’ll be good to go and then that isn’t the case.
June 8th, 2025 at 7:57 pm
I agree.
I don’t think he plays the first 4 games.
Just get used to it now.
We are plenty good enough to win until he is ready.
Gonna be running more anyway.
Tez might get some needed playing time as well.
It isn’t all bad news if he isn’t ready.
June 8th, 2025 at 7:58 pm
Rather than try to read in between the lines, draw inferences, etc… why not just accept that we don’t know, the Bucs aren’t sure when it will be, and week one is a goal but not a certainty. There’s no confusion, there’s just uncertainty. That is the nature of recovering from gruesome injury.
June 8th, 2025 at 8:16 pm
“Taking it slow” = Trying to AVOID a ‘setback’.
The Bucs are betting on the man with this substantial 3 year contract…. not a player coming off a gruesome injury.
The Chris Godwin who was literally the best receiver in the league through 7 games last year (top 3 at worst) will not be the Chris Godwin we see this year. There’s no way around that.
But a Chris Godwin who works himself back to 85% of that player this year and hopefully 95+% of that player by 2026 will be worth $22M per – and by the final year of his contract in 2027 – $22M will probably seem like a bargain.
Godwin is a pro’s pro. The man will do everything in his power to regain the ability to dominate in this league once again……
The Buccaneers were wise to make this substantial bet on Chris Godwin!
June 8th, 2025 at 8:20 pm
Let him come back when he is ready. I am expecting after a third of the season. He came back too early with the knee injury and wasn’t ready this one is more involved. Brilliant pick with EE to allow him to show them ready,
June 8th, 2025 at 8:49 pm
RTB
June 8th, 2025 at 9:03 pm
Love Chris but I view him kinda like I do Reddick ie. if he is the same player he was before, even if it’s on the back half of the season, it’s a bonus.
Drafting EE is looking smarter every day.
Even if Reddicks meh and it takes Chris most of the season to ramp up we should be competitive with anybody.
June 8th, 2025 at 9:35 pm
I agree with FilthyAnimal.
The Bucs very likely don’t know when Chris will be back.
If they do, the organization is doing a darn good job of making sure word does not get out, which makes sense on the chance Chris does suffer a setback.
All of us out here in TVLand may never find out until the week of the game they decide he’s ready to play.
I am, however, convinced the organization is confident Chris will be available this year and will fully recover.
They wouldn’t have signed him to that deal if they thought the injury was bad enough that it would severely impede his career going forward.
And Chris is unquestionably a consummate professional who’s taking his rehab seriously and pushing himself a little bit more every day.
June 8th, 2025 at 9:47 pm
Shoot, godwin probably doesn’t even know when he is coming back. It takes time, comfort, testing to come back from that type of injury.
June 8th, 2025 at 9:56 pm
There is a whole chicken and the egg argument here. Did the Bucs draft Egbuka because Godwin needs extra time to heal, or does drafting Egbuka allow Godwin to be more conservative in his timetable? To some degree it doesn’t matter. If Egbuka is as polished from day 1 as everyone is observing, why not be conservative with Godwin’s recovery? I’d rather have a 100% Godwin for the final stretch and playoffs than a 75% Godwin struggling with injuries for 17 games straight.
June 8th, 2025 at 10:36 pm
They will wait until the last minute to decide on PUP or IR. They won’t waste the roster spot.
June 8th, 2025 at 10:37 pm
It’s the chicken always had been.
June 8th, 2025 at 10:37 pm
@Pickgrin
Agree completely with your take. I don’t think it’s important exactly when CG14 comes back. What would be awesome is if Chris came back for spot duty the second half of the season and worked himself back to “playoff’ shape for a serious run in the post season this year.
Meanwhile EE is getting a lot of reps early in the year to get up to “pro speed”.
June 8th, 2025 at 11:14 pm
$22 million dollar cheerleader.
I love CG
But the best GM outbid himself
The pats deal was back loaded.
We could have used that money on DEFENSE
June 9th, 2025 at 12:18 am
I’ve literally never thought he was going to be there week 1, if it happens, great – it’s a bonus. If he doesn’t, well, that’s what should be expected by anyone who isn’t insane and understands the injury. Godwin signed a 3-year way under the market deal to return, and I just hope he’s back to fully health by the 2nd half the season, and he’ll be a huge boost down the stretch.
June 9th, 2025 at 12:22 am
Bucs4Ever – Godwin is a $12.9m cap hit this year, if he didn’t resign, he was a $20m cap hit. Also you literally have no idea what the Pats deal looked like, except the guaranteed number, which was dramatically higher than what the Bucs offer, which is also a back loaded deal, that actually saved the Bucs money THIS season.
June 9th, 2025 at 1:31 am
Some people on this site I’m not sure are Bucs fans at all. Why waste your time if you’re going to talk useless crap constantly? I just don’t get it.
Hoping Godwin recovers and has a great year.
June 9th, 2025 at 1:51 am
Well said, my thoughts exactly @stpetematt
June 9th, 2025 at 2:33 am
What happened with Paris Warren after his injury