© Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
CBS Tabs Buccaneers Wide Receiver In NFL Draft Trade Rumors
CBS recently put together a list of players who could potentially be traded during draft season, and one of them was a Bucs star wideout.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made quite a few moves to retain their talent in free agency. They also made a trade with the Detroit Lions to send away one of their veterans — but could they do it again?
CBS Sports recently put together a list of potential trade targets for both before and during the NFL Draft. Four players were named, and one of them happened to be Buccaneers wideout Chris Godwin, who is entering the final year of his deal. And while he acknowledged that it was somewhat unlikely, writer Cody Benjamin did explain why he thought there was a possibility the Bucs could move on from Godwin.
The Buccaneers have operated like a team focused entirely on the present, retaining Baker Mayfield,Mike Evans, Lavonte David and Antoine Winfield Jr. in a classic "run-it-back" offseason. In that case, they may prefer Godwin to stick as a reliable, if unspectacular, starter," the article said. "But he's entering the final year of an expensive deal, due a whopping $27.5 million in 2024, and Evans is commanding top dollar on his own new deal. Maybe they'd be open to replacing his role via the draft.
Whether or not Godwin leaves this year is up for interpretation (and is still quite unlikely), but there's a very real chance that he leaves next year in free agency. The Bucs are tied up with both Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield, and given their team needs and its desire to get younger, Godwin could be a sacrifice next year when the free agency shuffle begins once again. With players like Tristan Wirfs and Antoine Winfield Jr. needing new deals, it may be Godwin's last year in Tampa Bay in 2024.
Furthermore, the article wasn't done talking about the Bucs after Godwin. Benjamin also proposed that Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon could be a potential trade candidate, and one of his proposed teams for the edge rusher was the Buccaneers.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 offseason.
