Buccaneers Would Prioritize Second Tag For WR Chris Godwin Over CB Carlton Davis

According to Jeremy Fowler, there’s a widespread belief around the league that the Buccaneers will prioritize keeping WR Chris Godwin, going so far as to franchise tag him a second time this offseason. 

Tampa Bay also has another notable pending free agent in CB Carlton Davis. Fowler says the Bucs ideally want to bring both back but if it comes down to keeping one from seeing what the open market holds, the buzz is they would choose Godwin.

One source put the odds of a tag for Godwin at 90 percent. Even though Godwin is coming off of a torn ACL, the Buccaneers continue to view him as one of their core players.

A second tag for Godwin would be 120 percent of his tag from 2021, which comes out to $19.1 million. A tag for Davis is projected to be $17.3 million according to Over The Cap. 

Godwin, 25, is a former third-round pick by the Buccaneers in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Penn State. He played out the final year of his four-year, $3.2 million rookie contract and was in line to be an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his NFL career when Tampa Bay used the franchise tag on him. 

Godwin is a pending free agent, and figures to command a lucrative deal in the 2022 offseason.

In 2021, Godwin appeared in 13 games for the Bucs. He recorded 92 receptions for 1,054 yards and five touchdowns. Godwin also picked up 21 yards rushing on four carries and a touchdown.

Davis, 25, was selected with the No. 63 overall pick in the second round out of Auburn by the Buccaneers in 2018. He just finished the final year of a four-year, $4,393,114 contract that included a $1,274,992 signing bonus.

In 2021, Davis appeared in 10 games for the Buccaneers and recorded 39 total tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery and 11 pass deflections. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 28 cornerback out of 116 qualifying players. 

We have both included in our Top 100 – 2022 Free Agents list.