The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have secured wide receiver Chris Godwin with a three-year, $66 million contract extension with $44 million guaranteed, reaffirming their commitment to one of the league’s premier pass-catchers. Godwin, who has been with the Buccaneers since being drafted in 2017 in Round 3 out of Penn State, was pacing for one of his best seasons ever as a pro before his season ended in Week 7 due to an ankle dislocation injury.
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Chris Godwin Back to Buccaneers: Fantasy Football Impact
The Buccaneers’ slot WR finished second in points per game (16.1) second only to Ja’Marr Chase in 2024. He was the WR2 overall in fantasy points through seven weeks, leading the NFL in catches (50) with a team-high 26% target share.
With this contract extension, Godwin is expected to return to being a focal point in Tampa Bay’s passing attack and the No. 1 target for quarterback Baker Mayfield. Fantasy managers should consider him a high-floor WR2, particularly in full PPR formats, given his high reception totals in recent seasons.
However, he just turned 29 years old and this will be the second time he has suffered a major injury. At least this time around it’s not a specific soft tissue injury that might have more long-lasting impact.
But given that this is no longer Liam Coen’s (the Jacksonville Jaguars new coach) exact offense, I’d be very surprised if Godwin’s production mirrors what happened in 2024. Even though it’s 2023 pass-game coordinator Josh Grizzard stepping in as the OC, he might put his own wrinkle on the offense. Grizzard spent time with the Miami Dolphins as the WR coach/offensive quality controller where we saw some great seasons between Tyreek Hill/Jaylen Waddle.
As long as Grizzard puts Godwin in the slot, he will be productive.
Godwin has never finished worse than WR20 in points per game with at least a 60% snap rate from the slot.
Still a new OC could mean we see more of second-year WR, Jalen McMillan. This seems very obvious after his second-half blow-up. The first-year WR wasn’t much of a factor to start the season, when Godwin was an absolute tear.
The “too many mouths to feed” narrative will run rampant through Tampa Bay’s WR room through draft analysis this season, which will likely make each guy that much easier to draft in 2025. Rightfully so, as no one guy is teed up to smash compared to last year when Godwin was projected into the “Cooper Kupp role.”
The market should suppress these WRs without the clearest paths to targets, especially in the case for McMillan who’s bullish case is much harder to buy with both Evans/Godwin back.
Even so, I’ll buy the dip across the board between proven producers like Godwin and Mike Evans, along with a rookie WR breakout in McMillan. Sometimes it’s just better to bet on the talent, than the surface situation that will inevitably change mid-season. Evans will be turning 32 this season. McMillan can play on the outside, and Godwin is coming off a serious injury.
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