Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Chris Godwin’s roller coaster contract year
Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin has had trouble staying healthy in a contract year.
Chris Godwin had to be hoping for 2020 to be the season for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and himself to become a well-known commodity to everyone in the country. Although he had a breakout season and made his first Pro Bowl in 2019, he still has not been a complete household name for novice fans. The team now has Tom Brady as its quarterback and with Brady comes weekly viewers who did not pay attention to the team last season.
With an accomplished quarterback like Brady, many people expected Godwin to not just have a career year, but perhaps be the league’s best this season. With free agency coming for Godwin after this season, there was no better time for the quarterback change and the rise in the team’s profile.
As long as he was able to stay healthy, the sky would be the limit. He has the size and route-running ability Brady has rarely seen during his past few seasons in New England.
Unfortunately for Godwin, things have not gone as was expected. When he has been healthy and has played, he has been pretty good. He has 25 catches through four games with 279 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
The problem is that Godwin has also missed three games this season and we now know the number will continue to add by at least one with the upcoming Monday night game against the New York Giants.
Godwin fractured his left index finger while making a touchdown catch during the fourth quarter of Sunday’s win over the Raiders. The fracture has required surgery for Godwin and he will miss at least the team’s next game. There is hope Godwin can return for the team’s Week 9 game against the division rival Saints.
Chris Godwin’s injuries complicate his contract year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The timing of the injury could not be much worse for Godwin. The team is on a roll and the one win Giants offer a chance for the passing offense to continue to get in sync. Without a preseason and with Godwin in and out of the lineup, even Brady has admitted that the comfort level between himself and Godwin is still a work in progress. Now with Godwin gone for a game and maybe more, the work on timing and synchronicity will have to wait.
Couple this with the impending arrival of Antonio Brown and Godwin will have yet another member of the offense who will take looks and targets away from him. Although Brown only played one game for the Patriots last season, he did spend a lot of time trying to get on the same page with Brady until he was released.
Although banged up, the Buccaneers now have a wealth of talent when it comes to receiving weapons for Brady. Mike Evans is a three-time Pro Bowler, Antonio Brown was once considered perhaps the best wide receiver in football, Rob Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends to play in the NFL.
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Brady and Gronkowski have played the last two weeks as if they never spent time apart. All of this means fewer opportunities for Godwin. Although I’m sure he puts winning first, he still is human and wants to cash in after the season. If he cannot stay healthy and then once he returns he cannot get the ball, all of those plans may go up in smoke.