Jalen McMillan On The “Old” Chris Godwin
May 28th, 2026
“Old” man Chris Godwin.
After underwear football practice on Tuesday, KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles seemed to suggest the old Chris Godwin is back.
Fellow receiver Jalen McMillan agreed, but he was using the word “old” in another tense.
With Mike Evans slamming the back door to One Buc Palace shut as he raced out the door to San Francisco to take a pay cut, and Lavonte David hanging up his cleats for good, Godwin became the longest-tenured Bucs player. Godwin was drafted in 2017.
Godwin hasn’t been with the Bucs for 10 seasons yet and he has the most seasons of any of his teammates. Dang.
McMillan spoke to the local pen and talked about the leader in the wide receiver room. Godwin is looking for his first fully healthy season in a few years.
McMillan said he sees the same ol’ Godwin fans were used to.
“I mean, he’d been ready since Day 1 (of OTAs),” McMillan said. “He’d been doing the same thing he’s been doing since I got here. JUGS routines, breathing techniques.”
And no, McMillan said, Godwin hasn’t lowered his standards.
“He gets on me when I’m not doing the technique to a T,” McMillan said. “And he holds everybody to that standard. “So, I mean, that’s OG. That’s Unc. He’s old.”
Old as in when Godwin was one of the best receivers in the game a couple of years ago? No, McMillan said. Godwin’s old. As in the old man of the Bucs.
“That’s Unc,” McMillan laughed. “That’s Unc, for sure.”
Joe sure hopes that old man still has one more season of youth in his gas tank.
May 28th, 2026 at 7:15 am
I’ll say this for Godwin, he has given everything for this team. He’s been severely injured and despite that I’ve never seen examples of him loafing or making business decisions in the game. The dude has held on to catches and taken huge hits. I enjoyed Evans when he was here. But I respect Godwin. I also hope he has a couple good yrs for the team and for his health.
May 28th, 2026 at 7:17 am
Great to have Chris back 👍. The Bucs have a tuff three game schedule at the start of the season. If they could start off the season 2-1 and remain healthy for a change they could make noise in the playoffs.
May 28th, 2026 at 7:20 am
Now that hammy ME is gone hearse his 30 yard sprint, tap his helmet to come off the field. We should be in good shape with the bodies that we have with the receiver position currently. If this Hurst kid proves he can play and everybody else stays healthy. This is gonna be one heck of receiving corps and a bunch of quality targets for born-again Baker to choose from coming out of the backfield too. The concern is always, of course is that Putrid Pass defense!
May 28th, 2026 at 7:20 am
It is kind of sad that 29 is considered old in any profession. He’s still a very young man in the real world. Hopefully, he has SEVERAL good years left! When he’s healthy, he’s a first-down machine.
May 28th, 2026 at 8:08 am
As the season progresses he may see ALOT of single coverage in the slot against #3 DBs. He should do a lot of damage. Plus with all these younger guys being interchangeable they should be able to keep Chris off the field some keeping more fresh. Expecting a great year from him in this offense.
May 28th, 2026 at 8:22 am
Godwin is everything you want in a player. Hard working, tough, leader, selfless…one of my favorite all time Bucs.
Wishing him a healthy 2026.
May 28th, 2026 at 8:34 am
OLDSCHOOL made a great point about giving Chris breaks and getting off the field periodically. Chris is the ultimate professional and gives 100% on every play, so BMac and Zach need to protect Chris from himself.
I’ll say it again, Chris is probably a top 5 blocking receiver. When he’s in the game, the RBs can hit some big runs. The entire WR room needs to adopt Chris’s high standard of blocking. Those guys need to have some fun and hit the DBs for a change.
May 28th, 2026 at 9:19 am
ME13 is not a good blocker-he is a great blocker at WR. His X size frame was critical in sealing edges to spring big plays. The loss of ME13 will be felt in other ways than catching passes.
May 28th, 2026 at 9:48 am
Evans was a great Buc, however Godwin is the ultimate Buc!!!. He should have been on the Billboards instead of Evans. No I have nothing against Evans for leaving. I think he made a good business decision for his career. I just believe Godwin has not received the respect he deserves for what he has done for the team in all aspects. He simply in my opinion is THE MAN period.
May 28th, 2026 at 11:08 am
Trade him while hes healthy
May 28th, 2026 at 12:17 pm
Despite losing Mike Evans, I’m really excited to see what this 2026 Buc’s wr core looks like.