Chris Godwin Talks Tom Brady, No. 12 Jersey

Who will wear No. 12 for the Bucs in 2020?

It may not be the biggest question facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after signing Tom Brady, but it's a big deal to Chris Godwin.

Who will wear the No. 12 jersey this season?

Brady has worn it for his entire 20-year career with the New England Patriots, but Godwin has been wearing it since his Penn State days, and currently wears it for the Bucs. 

Now that the Brady signing is official, Bucs fans want to know who gets the number. Speaking to Bucs team reporter Casey Phillips Friday morning, Godwin said while he's spoken to Brady briefly, they haven't talked about the jersey number, though he knows it'll come up soon.

My phone is blowing up over the last 24 hours on Twitter, Instagram, like phone calls, text messages," Godwin said. "People just asking me the same question. I think it will be very interesting whatever happens. We haven’t talked about it. We talked briefly, but hadn’t mentioned that at all. Obviously, if he doesn’t want it or isn’t making a big deal about it, I’m definitely going to keep it. But we’ll see how that goes. I think just out of respect for what he’s done, what he’s accomplished, just kind of the career he’s built for himself. You’ve got to kind of lean into that respect, you know?. We’ll see. We’ll see how it goes."

It's one thing for a player like Brady to take the number from a player near the bottom of the roster, but Godwin is one of the league's best wide receivers, and he's coming off a career year. He's likely to get a huge extension from the Bucs this season, as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.

Brady wore No. 10 at Michigan, so it's possible he could go that route if he wants to allow Godwin to keep his number.

Check out the full conversation between Phillips and Godwin:

“He reached out to me saying he was excited to come down and play together.”

➡️: @CGtwelve_ on @TomBrady pic.twitter.com/issO6sJ5dQ

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 20, 2020