The Tampa Bay Buccaneers know that the 2020 season will be one of the most closely-watched in franchise history. All eyes will be on the Bucs, who have gone from NFL doormat the past decade to immediate Super Bowl contenders after the signing of quarterback Tom Brady in free agency.
Along with Brady and his former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski, the Bucs have further bolstered an offense that finished third in the league last season. One of the biggest reasons for Tampa Bay’s success in the passing game in 2019 was the emergence of third-year receiver Chris Godwin, who finished with career highs across the board — 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns.
Godwin’s big year will likely earn him a big payday soon, and ESPN’s Dan Graziano believes the Bucs should do themselves a favor and extend Godwin before the 2020 season begins.
Per Graziano:
“A 2017 third-round pick, Godwin earned a proven performance escalator that bumped his 2020 salary up to about $2.1 million. But after finishing third in the league in receiving yards (1,333) and tied for fourth in touchdown catches (nine) in 2019, Godwin is in line for an extension that the Bucs might want to do before he has a year of catching passes from Tom Brady. It helps Godwin’s chances that Rob Gronkowski will come off the books next summer, and Mike Evans’ cap number will drop by $4.5 million from 2020 to 2021.”
Godwin proved last season he is a star in the making, and with Evans playing alongside him catching passes from Brady, the sky’s the limit for the former Penn State star heading into 2020. The Bucs have said they want to extend Godwin, so it seems to be more a matter of when and not if.
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