Bucs general manager Jason Licht has gotten used to speaking about key in-house free agents at the NFL Scouting Combine in recent years, and his Tuesday morning sessions with both national and local media members were no different. This time around, there’s one significant free agent everyone wants an update on: star wide receiver Chris Godwin.

For the second time in his career, Godwin suffered a major season-ending injury in a contract year. Back in 2021, he tore his ACL and MCL in a December game against the Saints. Despite that, the Bucs inked him to a new three-year contract that offseason. Now, after he dislocated his ankle in an October loss to the Ravens during the third year of that three-year deal, Godwin and his camp will get back to work on negotiating a potential new deal with Licht and his staff.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today

So, how might the injury impact contract talks this time around? Jason Licht was asked a question along those lines in Indianapolis on Tuesday, and while he cited some uncertainty surrounding the injury, he sounded bullish on Godwin’s chances to return to form once again.

“I wouldn’t say [it] changes at all,” Licht said. “The facts are he had a serious injury, missed a lot of time, there’s still some uncertainty with any injury like that at this point. So, move the void so it gives us more options, more flexibility as it pertains to him. And we’ve just got to make a good decision.

“Hopefully, you can come to an agreement with him because Chris means the world to this organization, to all of us individually, but as an organization as a whole. Nobody has been more resilient than him. We’ve been down this road before, [a] similar path with him. Nobody’s been more resilient and works harder than him. Those are the good things, and if I were a betting man, I would bet on Chris. But the facts are, we have to weigh through some variables here.”

The “void” that Licht referenced was the void date of Godwin’s previous contract, which was initially Feb. 17 before he and the team agreed to move it to March 14. That move gave the two sides more time to negotiate a new contract, and if they’re able to do so before March 14, it’ll keep the dead cap charge of $18,852,000 from accelerating.

Jason Licht Follows Up On Comments Regarding Chris Godwin’s Future

After speaking with the national media Tuesday morning, Jason Licht then met with the Tampa media contingent (including Pewter Report) that made the trip to Indianapolis for the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. That provided another chance for Tampa Bay’s longtime general manager to discuss where things are with Chris Godwin right now.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today

“There’s still some uncertainties, but he’s progressing,” Licht said. “You know Chris. He’s doing everything he can. Like I said up there [at the podium], I wouldn’t bet against him. We still have some time here. We’re going to use as much time as we have to consider options with regards to him, how we construct things, how we do things. So, that’s where we’re at right now. We’re still in the evaluation stage.”

So, with things still in the early stages for the Bucs, is there any urgency to make sure a deal gets done before that March 14 date and before Godwin has a chance to test the free agency market?

“I can’t predict what’s gonna happen,” Licht said. “All I can say is last year we were in a position with a lot of players [that was the] same. And I kept saying the same thing, ‘They want to be here, we want them.’ Hopefully we can work something out.”

Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo has a new Chris Godwin contract projected at $57 million over three years, which comes out to a $19 million average per year (APY). The previous contract he signed in 2021 was a three-year deal worth $60 million.

The unfortunate side of things for Godwin is that he was on track to be above a $19 million APY with the way he started the 2025 season. The veteran receiver was thriving in Liam Coen’s offense, catching 50 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns over seven games. Those five touchdowns equaled the number of times he reached the end zone in 2022 and 2023 combined, and he led the league in first downs at the time of his injury.

Unsurprisingly, Jason Licht and the Bucs value Chris Godwin the player and Chris Godwin the person, so we’ll see how everything pans out for the two sides as they negotiate in the coming days and weeks.