The 2024 NFL season has come to an end, meaning free agency and the draft are on the horizon. A year ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers used their offseason to secure their core of stars on the offensive and defensive side.
Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. all got their own respective deals, marking a noticeable period of spending for general manager Jason Licht. One key player missing from that contingent was Chris Godwin.
In what essentially became a "prove-it" year for Godwin, he started on a tear. He tallied 576 receiving yards and five touchdowns through seven games which ranked among the best in the league at the time.
But a season-ending injury suffered at the end of his seventh game would stop his campaign in its tracks. The Bucs had essentially lost their No. 1 receiver.
Fast forward to the present and now Tampa Bay has a major decision to make with Godwin set to hit free agency. The narrative around the team is that Godwin has the makings, like his counterpart Mike Evans, to be a Buc for life. Could another team change that?
USA TODAY's Nick Brinkerhoff suggested one potential suitor that would make sense for Godwin. His shocking free agency prediction has Godwin joining Liam Coen and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Coen, the Bucs' former offensive coordinator, left for the head coaching job in Jacksonville just weeks ago in a dramatic series of events. Now, he is tasked with reviving the career of Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Godwin thrived in Coen's system a year ago and could see the same results with the Jaguars. He would partner not only with a new quarterback but also star receiver Brian Thomas Jr. who broke out in his rookie season.
For Godwin, it would be a bit of a role reversal of the relationship he has with Evans in Tampa Bay. Through Coen's perspective, adding a premier pass catcher he is accustomed to working with not only helps as he establishes his own system, but gives his quarterback a trusted weapon to add to his arsenal.
The Bucs will not let Godwin simply walk away, especially to a coach and organization still sour on their mind. But if the numbers do not work for either side, Godwin may not have to travel far to find his new home.
