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Chris Godwin Admits He Was 'Really Close' to Leaving Buccaneers

The wideout reportedly left money on the table to return to Tampa Bay.

Liam McKeone

Godwin has spent his entire career in Tampa Bay
Godwin has spent his entire career in Tampa Bay / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers managed to retain one of the top free agents from this year's class, agreeing to a new deal with star receiver Chris Godwin after the legal tampering period began on Monday. It was no sure thing, either. Godwin was a very popular man, and soon after he elected to stay with the Bucs, reports emerged that he left quite a bit of money on the table from other interested parties to do so.

On Tuesday, Godwin went on NFL Network to discuss his brief free agency foray and admitted he was "really close" to leaving the team that drafted him back in 2017.

"I mean, to be honest I feel like we were really close," Godwin said. “When it comes to a situation like that you have to really, really consider it. Me and (his wife) Mariah , we had some really tough conversations. Had some really tough conversations with my agent. Because at the end of the day you're trying to figure out what's going to be best for our family. Not everybody would make that decision and I'm not faulting anybody that would.

"But at the end of the day, like I was mentioning in the presser, I have to go based off my gut, I have to go based off my intuition and what I think is going to be best for us in the long run. Being here, where we call home, where we feel the most comfortable, where we can raise our newborn son, I think all those things are big factors for us in making this decision."

The Bucs are surely glad he made this decision. Godwin has been key to their offense for years, and his absence was felt in a big way when he went down with a season-ending ankle injury halfway through the year last fall.

Now Godwin is locked down for another three years. The Buccaneers kept their guy, and he sounds pretty happy about it—even though it meant leaving money on the table.

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Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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