Todd Bowles Addresses Chris Godwin, Mike Evans Trade Rumors
March 8th, 2023
Four NFL teams traded stud receivers last season in exchange for a first-round draft pick in the compensation. That fueled speculation that the Bucs might want a piece of that action.
Why? Because the Bucs are in rebuild/retool/rethink mode after failing last season with Tom Brady before he retired last month. Plus the Bucs have two receivers likely worthy of fetching a first-round pick: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Rumors are out there that the Bucs may be willing to deal, so CBS NFL insider prickly Pete Prisco asked Todd Bowles about them last week, as seen on CBSSports.com.
“I don’t know where that [talk] came from, either. Mike’s been one of our best players for a long time. He’s still productive at a high level, one of my favorite guys on the team,” Bowles said.
The head coach added “same thing” for Chris Godwin.
“I don’t see those two guys going anywhere,” Bowles said with an incredulous look on his face.
Joe understands the speculation, and it sure would be intriguing if the Bucs sent Evans to the Texans with a third-round pick for Houston’s No. 12 overall pick this season, for example, or shipped him to the Giants for the No. 26 overall pick plus a sixth-round selection.
Still, Joe’s not interested in trading Evans. If the Bucs want to tank, Evans or Godwin wouldn’t be among the pieces Joe would dump.
March 8th, 2023 at 11:33 am
I’d rather extend these guys, if possible.
March 8th, 2023 at 11:33 am
Keep the team together this year, see how Trask does. If he succeeds then great Keep everyone together. If he fails then blow it all up. This year is all or nothing
March 8th, 2023 at 11:35 am
I hope the Bucs are always fielding offers.
March 8th, 2023 at 11:37 am
Question is do they want to be on a losing team at this ping in their career
March 8th, 2023 at 11:38 am
If I was forced, out of the two, I would see what Godwin could get us. Because coming off his knee injury, he just hasnt looked the same, which is expected of course. I dont know. I want to keep both, but if we had to trade one, that would be my move.
How much cap space would Godwin save us? Plus he was a 3rd so I wouldnt settle for anything less than a top 2nd….or a 1st hopefully. Business is business. ME13 aint going anywhere!
March 8th, 2023 at 11:40 am
Wouldn’t trading either of these guys be a major cap hit? Mikes been restructured several times until 2050 and Chris just got a contract last year didn’t he? Trade, if it happened, would be about draft capital, not cap savings. –Joe
March 8th, 2023 at 11:42 am
Who is giving up a first round pick for a receiver in his 30s or one coming off a knee surgery?
March 8th, 2023 at 11:43 am
Everyone stop trying to ship our great players elsewhere!
March 8th, 2023 at 11:48 am
Bowles has no idea…..and he wouldn’t be the one making the decision anyway……we’ve heard how impressed with Lenny & Devin White…..let’s see where that goes.
Couldn’t get jack squat for D Smith……not surprised.
March 8th, 2023 at 11:49 am
Licht and Bowles keep saying that they want to get faster and younger at the offensive skill positions.
How do you do that if you keep all of the same guys?
March 8th, 2023 at 11:55 am
“I’ll tolerate you until I can replace you”. But not Evans or Godwin. You guys are here for good.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:01 pm
@ MadMax
“How much cap space would Godwin save us? ”
Godwin has a fully guaranteed salary of $20M plus a prorated signing bonus payment of $3.75M…
We still owe Godwin $15M signing bonus but would save the $20M salary.
So I believe the Bucs would save @ $5M in 2023 and would save another $20M in 2024…
March 8th, 2023 at 12:02 pm
Bowles Blunders again.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:07 pm
Exhibit A of how the Bullsh!t Industrial Complex operates in the offseason. Someone makes up a rumor and suddenly people think it’s actually a possibility even though there is zero substance, It’s chum for m0r0ns.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:13 pm
These two have been nothing but pure professionals that put in serious work together since they both arrived.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:13 pm
Extend
March 8th, 2023 at 12:15 pm
HC Grover Says:
March 8th, 2023 at 12:02 pm
Bowles Blunders again.
^^^^^^^
Thank you, HC “Mr. Positive” Grover for adding absolutely nothing to the conversation.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:25 pm
Austin Says
“Keep the team together this year, see how Trask does. If he succeeds then great Keep everyone together. If he fails then blow it all up.”
The problem with that plan is that if Trask blows, we may end up with a top 5 pick and get a better QB…in which case we’d want to keep the team together.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:26 pm
I can see them trading Evans. He’s older than Godwin, and shifting that cap hit to another team makes sense to me.
It’s a better idea than trading Devin.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:26 pm
To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if Evans & Godwins aren’t in on alot of the personnel moves that have happened the last few weeks. Not from a decision making standpoint, but moreso a heads up deal just like BA asking them both about AB before adding AB to their room 2 years ago. Both guys are homegrown talent, who have matured into leaders on this team and trying to trade them does more harm than good. Neither of them are players that are “easy” to replace.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:30 pm
If they quotes were from Jason instead of Bowles they would have more credibility
March 8th, 2023 at 12:35 pm
Trading Mike Evans doesn’t make much sense…
We still owe him @ $22M in prorated signing bonus money. His base salary in 2023 is only $13M.
So we would have to pay him the $22M signing bonus and would only save $13M in 2023.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:42 pm
Very stressful times.
March 8th, 2023 at 12:51 pm
@Marine, Thanks bud 🙂
March 8th, 2023 at 12:57 pm
Hmmm, save $5mill this year and $20mill next, plus a high draft pick this year which is much needed in other areas….
Evans, Gage (as long as he stays healthy) and Tyler Johnson, in what will likely be a losing season….man, its tough, but if that trade comes, Im pulling the trigger, especially if its a late 1st.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:00 pm
Godwin should and will return to form Imo. It always takes into year two post surgery. Unless licht is blown away, I don’t think it makes much sense to deal either. If some team gets stupid, i suppose you consider it. What the bucs need is good young players under cost control. The only way to achieve that is in the draft. Picks aren’t as valuable as they use to be though. I think many GMs have figured out that it’s a crap shoot.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:03 pm
We’re looking at grooming at least one, possibly two young QB’s in the next two or three years at a minimum. You don’t do that without veteran recievers.
You also don’t get rid of all of your star power if you want to see people in the stadium on gameday.
Evans is the first player Licht drafted. As long as Licht is here, Evans won’t be moved.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:08 pm
Remember when the Joe’s were GaGa over Johnny Manziel
🥴
March 8th, 2023 at 1:09 pm
You guys are way overvaluing what Evans would get on the trade market. He’s going to be 30 and only has a year left on his deal. If you had a situation where a team felt like it was one player away from winning the SB, perhaps you’d get a late 1st rounder, but even that is unlikely. For a team like Houston, all they’d give up is perhaps a 3rd rounder, and probably not even that. Homers always overestimate the value of their own players, always. It’s not a slight against Mike in any way, but GM’s love their lottery tickets more than they love proven star players.
Godwin, meanwhile, would get a better return, but I’m still not sure he’d bring in more than a late round 1st as well as teams will look at his contract and how much he’s getting paid. Plus he’s never been a #1 WR. I have no doubt he can play that role, but he’s never been one. Again, no slight against Godwin, just laying out the reality of the situation.
The only mega-star deal you could do on this team is trading Wirfs. That’s when you’re talking multiple 1st’s. Winfield, because he’s a safety, wouldn’t bring a huge return, even though he’s the best player on the defense. Vita would likely get you a late 1st, but I’m not sure you’d get anything more because of his contract. Davis, because of his contract, would likely only get you a 2nd. And outside of that, I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head that would get more than a late rounder.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:11 pm
MadMax Says:
March 8th, 2023 at 12:57 pm
Tyler Johnson is not on the roster. He was on the practice squad at the end of the season and did not sign a futures contract, so he’s a free agent. Probably not in the team’s future.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:21 pm
Oh ok Sasquatch…i wonder what went wrong with him, he seemed promising…oh well.
Achane could be lined up as a wideout too, (Great hands) so I hope they arent looking over him in that aspect.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:23 pm
@ Rod and MadMax
I agree.
Trading Godwin makes sense (even though I don’t like it) especially if we get proper compensation…
Trading Mike Evans doesn’t make much sense at this point. No cap savings and the compensation won’t be as high as some believe.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:23 pm
Tampa Times reported last week that Lenny asked to be released. I wonder if White, Evans or anyone else have asked to be traded. I know Mike relishes those 1000 yard season and I highly doubt he will make it this year.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:24 pm
IT’S NOT ONE-SIDED
Did you ever consider Mike or Chris may want to leave … especially Mike?
The Bucs were in the basement for Mike’s first 6 years. Then, they were the best team in the league. They lost TB12 and facing a rebuild. If I’m Evans, I’ve seen the top and I’d want to go to a contender. If he does, make it a win-win for everyone.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:40 pm
After this year you are going to see the largest exodus of the bandwagon you have ever seen. No star QB, no money, and now you guys want to trade away our best players for picks that hopefully work out in a few years. And you expect Bucs fans to pay 10-20% ticket hikes for this?
Being a Bucs ticket sales rep has to be the worst job in the world right now.
March 8th, 2023 at 1:53 pm
Jerry – Speaking of which, I just got an email from the Bucs yesterday encouraging me to sign-up to get on the season ticket waiting list. LOL!
I don’t think being stuck on a waiting list is going to be a problem if I wanted to get some tickets.
Also, I have no issues with a rebuild. That was the deal when the Bucs brought
Brady in, and then resigned everyone in 2021.
March 8th, 2023 at 2:01 pm
if either are moved i’m thinking before the trade deadline during the season…
not now…
gotta see how things are working out first…
gotta see which teams get desperate for a wide out…
godwin’s still gotta prove that knee can hold up…
evans has to prove……..well, nothing…yeah absolutely nothing
March 8th, 2023 at 2:02 pm
Marine Buc – I don’t think I’d trade Godwin, even if you got a late 1st for him, I don’t think that’s fair compensation, and even if the Bucs tank this year, you’re still going to need WR’s next year and beyond and Godwin is young enough still to play for a while.
For Evans, the Bucs will never get a return that fans will be OK with. I’ve always thought of Evans as a better version of Vincent Jackson, a guy who didn’t have great speed at the end of his career, but used his size to still be very productive until the very end. VJ played and was productive until injuries caught up with him at age 32. And I think Evans will still be productive through that same age before falling off. That means 3-more seasons, and I’d try to keep him if at all possible. Next year the cap should go up dramatically, and I’d try to resign Evans now at around $20m, since that is going to seem cheap.
The Bucs, if they don’t waste money on a garbage vet QB this offseason, they should be in great shape next year. If they draft a young guy, they’ll have a big cap advantage at QB so they can spend money elsewhere, and keeping Evans and Godwin together should help whatever QB the Bucs get for another few years.
March 8th, 2023 at 2:02 pm
If we trade Mike evans the by far best player on the team I will lose my $hit..
He should retire as the best bucs offensive player in history and be treated with such regard.
He I’d the glue to our offense and honestly Brady not using him enough was a big problem for me..
He deserved more 50 50 balls and targets from Brady.
Only thing I don’t like about Mike is how after every play he acts injured.
He corrected a lot of his weaknesses over the years.
March 8th, 2023 at 2:30 pm
@ Rod
I agree.
If the Bucs need cap space they should restructure Evans because this is the last year of his contract (except for VOID years) anyways.
Our GM could turn most of the $13M of Evans’ base salary into a guaranteed signing bonus – add it onto the existing VOID years – and save @ $10M in 2023.
March 8th, 2023 at 2:43 pm
I’d be willing to trade anyone except those 2 and Winfield.
March 8th, 2023 at 2:53 pm
Whatever happens, with this cap space issue, the end result will not be pretty!
March 8th, 2023 at 3:38 pm
Where’s the cap means nothing crowd?!
March 8th, 2023 at 3:38 pm
Rod, it’s because they forced everyone to sign up for two years last year. When fans see how bad this off-season is going to go, they will cancel for 2024. That’s when the exodus will happen.
March 8th, 2023 at 4:31 pm
No one knows anything. This is just idle chat by people who get paid for idle chat. Something to drum up interest during the off-season.
It would be stupid to trade Evans or Godwin for future picks. How many picks work out?
March 8th, 2023 at 5:07 pm
They’ll both be in Bucs uniforms this year
March 8th, 2023 at 5:34 pm
Jerry – Yeah, last year the marketing department was brilliant. Force people into two-year deals knowing Brady is gone after one. Whoever came up with that deserves a raise. That also is why the Bucs SHOULD just use 2023 to clean up the cap. Then, in 2024, you sell tickets because it’s once again a ‘New Day in Tampa Bay’, new coaches, new QB, etc.
Or, if the Glazers really want to put the boots to Tampa, they could just cut off the purse strings, lose a bunch of games, not spend any money, then use the lack of ticket sales in 2024 to say they’re moving the team to London if a new stadium isn’t built. That day is coming, and it’s coming soon. The stadium is 25-years old already, and we’re less than 5-years from the end of the lease, and that’s when teams start ramping up their new stadium plans.
March 8th, 2023 at 6:14 pm
Trade Devin White. Can’t afford his future contract and he’s not worth the money.
March 8th, 2023 at 6:17 pm
Brady back by May…mark it down
March 8th, 2023 at 6:46 pm
Evan’s isn’t worth a 1st round pick, Godwin maybe.
March 8th, 2023 at 7:01 pm
No way we are selling low on Godwin. Going to let him have a respectable year and build some trade value and consider him next year. And well Mike Evans is approaching Mike Alstott status. He will retire a Buc. The only way I see him leave is if HE insists he has more in the tank in a few years and it becomes a John Lynch situation. Mike Evans is worth more to this franchise than what the trade market will give us in return.
March 8th, 2023 at 9:02 pm
The only way I can get on board with trading Evans is we’re doing it from a place of love and respect for all that he’s done for us. He played for some crazy teams, gave us his all each time and may become a HOFer with 1 or 2 more good seasons. If those seasons may not happen on a mediocre 3 win team…then maybe we’re doing right by him by letting him finish his career elsewhere. I love the guy. Don’t want him in another uniform. But because of that love I could understand if he wanted to go elsewhere-us trying to find him a good home while we get some draft capital out of it.
March 9th, 2023 at 11:45 am
The main problem last year was the O-line. What’s happening with that?
If the greatest quarterback ever had problems with protection, what’s Trask going to do?
Point is, keeping Mike Evans and Chris Godwin is mandatory; they’re both elite receivers and it’ll be the one major aspect of the offensive-team that’s in good shape.
March 9th, 2023 at 2:25 pm
I’d rather both stay, buy if I were to deal 1 guy off, I’d be Godwin, only because I feel he hasn’t been himself after that injury at the beginning of the season. He still is a great player tho and wld hate to see him go but won’t be surprised at all if 1 gets traded for a pick or a QB.
March 9th, 2023 at 3:15 pm
If you trade both Evans and Godwin, who will pair with Ira Kauffman as the other Bucs WR next season?
Asking for a friend.