Well, we knew it was a big number. Now we know how big. Back in March, as the Patriots were piecing together their 2025 roster, the team was aggressive in its pursuit of one target in particular: Tampa Bay wide receiver Chris Godwin, who had been stellar as the Buccaneers‘ No. 2 option to Mike Evans over the past eight years.
Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle in Week 7 last year, and missed the remainder of the season. It was a tough blow for a player heading into free agency, but given that he had topped 1,000 yards in four out of five seasons from 2019-2023, New England looked past the injury and offered Godwin a chance to be a No. 1 target on a team with promising young quarterback Drake Maye.
At the time, it was known the Patriots had made an aggressive offer to Godwin. Now we know just how much it was: the Patriots offered to make Godwin one of the seven highest paid receivers in the game, at $30 million per year. Instead, he took a deal worth $66 million over three years.
Chris Godwin Likely Could Have Had a $120 Million Deal
Godwin spoke with Dan Pompei of The Athletic this week about his return to Tampa Bay, the team that drafted him in the third round back in 2018, and his experience in free agency.
Pompei wrote: “The Bucs made their best offer, and then the Patriots came hard, offering an average of $30 million per year on a multiyear deal, he says. And it’s possible there was more juice to be squeezed there. The Buccaneers’ offer was for three years at $66 million, averaging $22 million per season.
“(Agent Tory) Dandy explained he would be leaving generational money on the table if he passed up the Patriots’ offer.”
Of course, Godwin did pass on the “generational” offer from the Patriots, which, if it followed the form of similar contracts given to second-tier players like Brandon Aiyuk and Tee Higgins, would have presumably been for four years and $120 million–and that’s before “more juice” was squeezed from New England.
In the three-year term, it can be assumed that Godwin passed on about $24 million by rejecting the Patriots. Over the full term that would be at least $54 million (though the deal surely would not have been fully guaranteed).
Patriots Landed Stefon Diggs Instead
The Patriots did wind up bringing in a top-shelf receiver, signing Stefon Diggs from the Texans in free agency to a $63 million deal. But Diggs has been flighty throughout his career, and his Memorial Day boat video is the kind of issue that the team likely would not have on its plate with Godwin.
But the Patriots, despite being rejected in their willingness to overpay for Godwin, probably should not take the slight personally. Pompei’s piece on Godwin reveals a player who has extreme loyalty to that organization, and his teammates–especially Evans, his fellow receiver.
“When me and Mike are done, long gone from this organization, I think we’re going to look back on this time and say it was rare to have what we had,” Godwin says.
