Chris Godwin Example Of “Constant Struggle”
May 11th, 2024
It’s rare to hear an NFL coach talk about the money side of player management. It might come up at a press conference before free agency opens in March, but in May?
That’s darn rare unless said player being discussed is holding out for a better deal.
New Bucs receivers coach Bryan McClendon seems like a candid guy. When asked this week, he did not reject the premise that Chris Godwin didn’t always like how he was used last season and that Godwin made it known.
McClendon actually implied that Godwin has an unwritten expectation when it comes to targets and production, and it’s the coaching staff’s job to make Godwin happy.
You know, stats equal big money at contract time.
“I understand the frustration and everything else,” Bryan McClendon said of Godwin. “But Chris is such a guy that, hey man, he’s one of those: ‘Hey, if the team needs me to do this, then we can do this.’ And I get it, too, because there’s a business component of kinda what he sees that he’ll need to do also. So just being able to marry that stuff up, you know, is always a constant struggle for every coach right now in the NFL.”
The “business component” McClendon referenced for Godwin sounds like it’s as simple as, ‘Hey, just make sure I get my 1,000 yards and at least eight targets every game and I’ll do whatever it takes to win.’
Again, coaches, especially assistant coaches, hardly ever reveal this type of behind-the-curtain thinking that goes into game-planning.
Godwin, who is now in a contract year, has a streak of three consecutive seasons with 1,000 or more yards, and he’s averaged 95 catches a year in those seasons. If he stays on that pace, Joe suspects Godwin will avoid frustration in this season and Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht will pay him market value to return in 2025.
May 11th, 2024 at 9:39 pm
Godwin has championed through some injuries….and he’s back! And BACK in the slot (thank you Coen)….and then we just added to the WR dept with McMillan? This is a joke right?
Keep telling me the line is 7.5….ridiculous lol
May 11th, 2024 at 9:47 pm
Even Godwin knows this is his last year on the Bucs!! They can’t keep this team among the top teams in the NFC and continue to pay 2 WRs over $20 million per. FACTS
May 11th, 2024 at 10:43 pm
I remember a game in which Chris had 15 catches. IDK what position he was playing but he obviously has not been utilized similarly. Anyone who thinks he should leave the Bucs does not know him, imo.
May 11th, 2024 at 10:43 pm
RBUC, look at Iggles
May 11th, 2024 at 10:46 pm
Great insight into coachspeak.
May 11th, 2024 at 10:47 pm
Pay the man. He has the highest catch percentage of any WR in franchise history. The Bucs would have won more games than they did if Canales hadn’t forgotten he was playing. Mike Evans is great, but Godwin is more dependable year after year.
May 11th, 2024 at 10:47 pm
Coaches and press have always put Godwin on the same level as LVD, character-wise. Not this year!
May 12th, 2024 at 12:13 am
If that kid from Washington shines….
May 12th, 2024 at 12:32 am
Lou….. I don’t think you understand what coach speak is.
May 12th, 2024 at 12:54 am
The business side could mean outside receivers get paid more.
Plus the slot is where he got injured. Makes me wonder if he is excited about going to the slot again or hates it? I know he will do what is best for the team, but his happiness IS important. Personally I love Godwin, but CHANGE is what has been needed for this team and it is inevitable. I really think this is his last year. Unless we use the tag and trade, we will recoup nothing for him next year.
May 12th, 2024 at 12:54 am
Posters on this site keep saying that the Bucs should trade Godwin or let him walk in free agency after this season, because no team can stay competitive with 2 wideouts making over 20 million. You do realize that the salary cap has been going up every year for some time now? By 2025 we might be able. to squeeze them both in. 20 million now is not the same as it was just a few years ago.
May 12th, 2024 at 1:33 am
Yep Mark I made that statement and stand firmly on that statement sir!! Teams that are better than the Bucs don’t have to have all those weapons and the Bucs still can’t stop them!! Bucs for along time now are spread thin allll over the field but are dominate NOWHERE. Bowles is trying to build it right and the organization chose Evans truth is Godwins elite years are probably behind him cause of his injury history and he will want more money than the team needs to put in the WR room( on this team) We have a saying at my job sometimes less is more. Time will tell but I will bet even if Godwin has a great season the Bucs will move on from him cause it’s time sir IF I’m wrong let me hear about it next off season I don’t think I will thou
May 12th, 2024 at 4:09 am
Freeing up 20 million for Godwin will be easy. Simply get rid of the other expensive lawnchair um er cornerback and there you have it. One down, one to go!
May 12th, 2024 at 5:00 am
Godwin is great… no, you don’t pay him. You let him walk and draft a new one to replace him. I don’t understand why some of the dolts on her think we need to pay top dollar for every player. WR is a dime a dozen position.
May 12th, 2024 at 5:11 am
Bring back the lawn chairs … ‘Freeing up 20 million for Godwin will be easy. Simply get rid of the other expensive lawnchair um er cornerback and there you have it.’
Odds are better than 50-50 that you’re right IMO, but there are a couple of mitigating circumstances that might keep Jamel Dean here for a couple years more. One is that, if released, he’d still carry a CAP hit of almost $7 mil (dead CAP). Another is that Bucs have very little experience at CB right now outside of Dean & Bryce Hall (McCollum, Hayes, Thomas, Isaac, McDonald, Mosely, Funderburk).
No question in my mind that Dean had a bad year last season … 13 games, 0 INTs, targeted 56 times with 37 completed (66.1%) for 484 yards & 3 TDs, plus 61 tackles (46 solo) & only 4 PDs (lowest of his career). In his 4 seasons prior to that, Jamel was only allowing a 54% completion rate, so 66% was a very significant increase IMO. What none of us really know however is that he might’ve been playing hurt and/or it might’ve been the scheme he was being asked to play. I’m hoping that he has a major bounce-back in 2024. We’ll need him big time.
Also rooting for Tyrek Funderburk to make it. Very cool name.
May 12th, 2024 at 7:24 am
When the Bucs get a consistent pass rush secondary issues will work themselves out. Behind closed doors thou I think Dean has been put on notice they expect better play out of him or his next will be with walking papers☠️🚩
May 12th, 2024 at 7:47 am
Would like to see what % of snaps Dean was in zone vs man, compared to prior seasons. My suspicion it was all that 10 yard cushion zone crap
May 12th, 2024 at 7:52 am
Regarding the $20 million, I was just looking at over-the-cap, was trying to see how much dead money we still owe Shaq and Jensen….is $18 million for Jensen correct? WOW
May 12th, 2024 at 8:14 am
Remember Mike Tice and the Randy Ratio? lol
May 12th, 2024 at 9:54 am
I love ppl saying let him walk
Let the guy who is younger walk
Lt the guy with a better catch rate walk
Let the guy who catches in the clutch walk
I needed giggles
May 12th, 2024 at 10:38 am
Beej
“Would like to see what % of snaps Dean was in zone vs man, compared to prior seasons.”
I take your point Beej and do not necessarily disagree but for me it is a moot point. I’d like to see the % of snaps he was even on the field!
He lacks the most fundamental of abilities…”availABILITY”. He is a no show far too often…and sometimes even on the field. I absolutely concede that Jamel Dean at his very best (how often is that) is a terrific DB. But he has been hurt his ENTIRE CAREER starting back in college! He missed 4 full games last season. Not sure how many games he played “hurt” and not full speed whether zone or man.
I like Dean, respect his talent, but what good is a nice guy with talent who spends FAR too much time in the whirlpool?
May 12th, 2024 at 11:09 am
Canales inability to use Godwin properly is one of the many reasons I think he will be one and done in Carolina. BA made him a slot receiver. BA is a lot smarter than Canales. The End.
May 12th, 2024 at 11:56 am
Boss..repeat after me.
Mike Evans is a HOFamer.
May 12th, 2024 at 11:58 am
I thought Canales had stated that we was going to keep Chris in the slot. Am I nuts? I just assumed Chris played a significant amount there last year. Guess I need to pay closer attention. Maybe Canales never said that.
May 12th, 2024 at 12:28 pm
“But Chris is such a guy that, hey man, he’s one of those: ‘Hey, if the team needs me to do this, then we can do this.’
I thought so…until a 4-5 game span last year when he played without heart. That’s probably why his targets were reduced. If I noticed it, you know the coaches did.
Up until that point, I thought he was all about the team. But his attitude did show in his play, if you looked close enough.
May 12th, 2024 at 12:32 pm
Bring back the lawn chairs Says:
“Freeing up 20 million for Godwin will be easy. Simply get rid of the other expensive lawnchair um er cornerback and there you have it. One down, one to go!”
Dean isn’t going anywhere.
Not this year.
And besides…I’m not sold on Godwin. Yes, he can catch…but he’s also turning into a diva…and he might be a good WR, but he isn’t a Diva quality WR.
May 12th, 2024 at 1:20 pm
Evans will NEVER be HOF. EVER.
To many more clutch guys…and plenty with padded stats not in.
Ronde is HOFer.
May 12th, 2024 at 2:37 pm
Godwin is not a DIVA!! He’s just not 6’5 with long arms making it easy for short QBs to play catch with ALSO his past injuries limit his ability to get separation. He makes tough catches all the time but eventually young WRs can replace what he brings to the football field and the Bucs hope Evans makes it to the HOF and they will swear they loved him his whole career!! Evans makes QBs look better than they are more so than anybody else they have ever had. Truth be told Evans is probably more of a DIVA than Godwin will ever be
May 12th, 2024 at 2:50 pm
Everyone complains about the running game last year but Godwin’s lack of usage was 10X worse. Why Todd Bowles and Jason Licht needed his wife to correct the mistake for them is beyond me.
May 12th, 2024 at 3:17 pm
Don’t forget that Bowles threw Godwin under the bus last year, then drafted his replacement.
May 12th, 2024 at 3:18 pm
westernbuc – Licht isn’t the one dictating Godwin’s use.
May 12th, 2024 at 7:07 pm
Rod I understand that Licht doesn’t run the offense but you’re acting like these guys can’t just walk down the hallway to tell Canales to use Godwin. The fact is Canales only started using him when a players wife went public. That’s embarrassing.
When the average fantasy football owner can figure out you’re misusing a player then maybe the people getting paid millions are overpaid.
May 12th, 2024 at 7:39 pm
Meanwhile a site called OnSports…I have no idea about their cred but they are “floating a story” today that has the Bucs trading Chris Godwin to the Pats.
The Pats selected their next “savior” franchise QB in Drake Maye and he has very limited weapons. Godwin would immediately become WR1.
Makes sense for the Pats but the stupid site never said what the Bucs would get in return…players? or presumably draft picks…no mention of the Bucs other than it would give the Bucs a chance to grab two receivers to increase depth and still decrease the 20 million hit this season.
The Bucs do NOT need depth at WR at this point. Two studs and two promising young guys…they could use cap relief however. But what do the Bucs get in return. A 1st rounder next year? Who knows because the stupid site in the usual national bias towards major market teams only considered N.E.’s side of the deal.
Anybody else hear this rumor?
May 12th, 2024 at 8:40 pm
They talk about it in terms of “rumor” if the Pats pull the trigger on this deal by June 1st that’s why they don’t get into specifics about Bucs compensation just that the Bucs need cash to pay their draft picks and save on their cap situation! So probably won’t happen but I believe it’s being discussed 🏈☠️🚩
May 12th, 2024 at 11:51 pm
This “BOSS” Clown Has ZERO Credibility. Either, extremely DUMB, or extremely BIASED. I’m going with both, obviously.
May 13th, 2024 at 1:17 am
westernbuc Says:
May 12th, 2024 at 7:07 pm
Rod I understand that Licht doesn’t run the offense but you’re acting like these guys can’t just walk down the hallway to tell Canales to use Godwin.
———
I do not believe at all that Licht is going to march into the OC’s room and tell him how to use a player.
May 13th, 2024 at 1:20 am
RBUC Says:
May 12th, 2024 at 8:40 pm
They talk about it in terms of “rumor” if the Pats pull the trigger on this deal by June 1st that’s why they don’t get into specifics about Bucs compensation just that the Bucs need cash to pay their draft picks and save on their cap situation!
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Godwin is on the last year of his deal, and considering the cap situation, not this just year but next year, it’s highly unlikely Godwin will be back, so I could see them moving him if they got a good return.
However, I can’t imagine a team paying a big price for Godwin because of his contract, he’s fairly expensive this year, and then you still have to get a new deal done, and even with as much as I like Godwin, he’s not been the same player he was before the injuries. I just can’t see anyone giving the Bucs a 2nd, which is probably what they’d want – at least not before the season. In season, if the Bucs get off to a bad start, they could move people at cheaper prices.