7 NFL players who will sign the next massive contract extensions
6. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Anyone looking back and reminiscing about the 2017 NFL Draft will recall that a ton of people were high on the sleeper potential of wide receiver Chris Godwin. Coming out of Penn State, he didn’t have the most prolific college career. But when you looked at the measurables and the tools that the wideout possessed, the potential was obvious.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Champions of Godwin in the pre-draft process look like geniuses at this point. After a solid 34-catch, 525-yard season as a rookie, he started to break out in 2018 with 59 receptions, 842 yards and seven scores. It was in the 2019 campaign, however, when he went from breakout player to bonafide star.
Despite being forced to play with interception-king Jameis Winston at quarterback, Godwin was a mammoth performer. Though he was limited to 14 games, he still racked up 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns on the season. And now that Tom Brady is taking over, there are some who believe he’s a more valuable long-term commodity than his cohort, Mike Evans.
However you want to compare that duo, though, Godwin is clearly an offensive building block in Tampa Bay. The 6-1, 209-pound receiver is a playmaker on all levels of the field and, at just 24 years old, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. As the Bucs make a real push at a Super Bowl for however long Brady remains, they’d be foolish to not lock Godwin up to a big deal, even if he doesn’t become the league’s highest-paid wide receiver.