Internal linebacker Lavonte David has been like that for a long time. standard It’s about being a Buccaneer, but wide receiver Chris Godwin is another player in that conversation.
Bucs star wide receiver gave him everything to recover from two serious injuries Less money needed to stay in Tampa Bay. It is the mutual trust between him and the organization that Godwin contributed to his persistence. Speaking to the media after agreeing to his three-year, $66 million deal earlier this week, he is grateful for how things worked and is confident he will return strongly in 2025.
Chris Godwin: “2024 kicked my ass a little bit.”
Chris Godwin didn’t do the easiest thing in 2024.
It all came to a screeching halt when Godwin dislocated his ankle with the Ravens in Monday night’s football despite starting the season at a career-pace with the offense from former offensive coordinator Liam Cohen. It was a difficult year for him both on and off the field, paired with the loss of his father.
With families present at this week’s press conference, Godwin admitted that they helped them increase the value of all their hardships.
He really liked the framing of this photo from Bucs’ Kyle Zedaker, filmed at Chris Godwin’s press conference on Tuesday, showing that he was watching his wife Mariah and son Ace in the front row. A proud man. pic.twitter.com/ljy3mnagnn
– Greg Orman (@gregauman) March 12, 2025
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by Cliff Welch/Pr
“I kicked my ass a little in 2024 [laughs] But that’s life, right? ” Godwin said. “With me [my wife] Mariah, we talked about this several times about the duality of life and its peaks and valleys. And we were able to see it firsthand for 12 months, or in fact, 11 months.
“I spent so much time really reflecting who he was, the lessons he taught me, what he had to be here, and 11 months later, we welcomed the greatest blessing of our life… I am grateful. I am incredibly grateful.”
Bucs is sure Chris Godwin will regain his shape
Bucs has chosen to fully guarantee the first two years of Chris Godwin’s contract, and places confidence in their ability to bounce back from serious injuries. Front office decision makers often remove feelings from the formula when assessing whether to keep or let go of a player, but general manager Jason Licht acknowledged that it is special to keep Godwin.
Bucs GM Jason Licht, WRS Mike Evans and Chris Godwin – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
“[The negotiations] Everything has a unique aspect to them,” Licht said. “Whenever you’re invested… Now there’s a specific player on this team. [with] Lavonte [David],microphone [Evans] And Chris [Godwin] I’ve been here on Mount Rushmore for over eight years now and it’s crucial to our team’s culture. When you have such players and you are a little worried about whether you can’t keep them or hoping you can do, it takes a little time – I hate to admit it – but you get a little emotional about it and feel a little extra stressed.
“I stand here in front of the fans, I don’t feel stressed, I say I have ice in my veins, but it’s not. It’s an emotional time. I took everything from me to not text Chris. [Godwin]. When you’re in college, it’s like texting your girlfriend. My wife had to say, “Don’t push him, don’t push him!” Anyway, when it was redoing it, it was a great moment. They take on their own life, but whenever they are someone like Chris, it’s a bit extra. ”
Godwin returned after struggling with a 1,000-yard season in 2022, suffering from a torn ACL in 2021. I did the same thing in 2023. He took a while to regain his previous explosiveness, but he looked the same as before in seven games last season, carrying 50 receptions for 576 reception yards and five touchdowns. “CG” was on track for even greater payday than he got, but re-upping his latest contract will allow him to play in the offense of new offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard.
“I’m totally confident in my ability to get it back,” Godwin said. “Unfortunately or fortunately, I’ve had the opportunity to do it before, but it’s the same as the others. Focusing on my process and actually getting better every day, it takes care of myself. I think the beautiful thing is how this team is set up. We had a lot of playmakers all over the field and when I got hurt, Mike got hurt, we had a really good view of it. [Evans] With injuries, we were still one of the best offenses in the league.
“For me, I see it because there’s a world of opportunity out there, not just for myself, but for all of us. When we’re all healthy, it’s going to be hell of attacks we’re trying to deal with, and that excites me.”
Maintain The entire starting unit is the same It’s an impressive feat, but that’s exactly what the Bucs did after re-signing Godwin and left guard Ben Bredeson. It gives them a rare opportunity to really pick up where they left off and return to chasing Lombardi’s trophy soon.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by Cliff Welch/Pr
“I’m very hungry for that,” Godwin said. “To me, it doesn’t make sense to do this if you’re not in it to win a championship. Again, it’s too hard. We’ve done so much, we’re too far away from our families and we’re spending our bodies too much trying not to get a championship. Everything we do is pursued for. Being able to achieve that, obviously, that would mean the world for us.”
Chris Godwin knows firsthand what would put his body on everything to win. After getting injured last season, he sat down in the cart that came out for him, “Back to work.”
He shared a similar response after Jason Licht welcomed him.
“We agreed to this contract. Jason congratulated me, welcomed me and said, ‘Let’s chase this again.’ ” Because that’s my focus. ”
