FAB 3. David, Godwin Contract Extensions May Be On Hold

The Bucs have publicly stated that the team would like to extend the contracts of veteran inside linebacker Lavonte David and wide receiver Chris Godwin this offseason. But a potentially perilous salary cap situation in 2021 may postpone new deals for those two Tampa Bay stars.

Bucs GM Jason Licht – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

As discussed in Fab 2, the 2021 salary cap may decrease by as much as $40 million from this year’s $198.2 million figure and slide back down to a 2016 level due to the loss of ticket revenue as NFL stadiums will need to reduce ticket capacity over COVID-19 concerns. The Bucs would only be under the possible $158.2 million salary cap in 2021 by less than $7 million with 45 players already signed through next year if that were to happen.

And that’s without new contracts for David, Godwin and Pro Bowl outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, the team’s franchise player, among others.

The Bucs would be in far better shape if the NFL and NFLPA agreed to use a flat cap of $198.2 million for four years that wouldn’t increase the cap until 2024 instead of taking a $40 million decrease next year. The four years of a flat cap would make up for the trend of the cap increasing by roughly $10 million each year, as it has over the past five offseasons.

David and Godwin will get new contracts with the Bucs. However, those new deals might not come this August as everyone had hoped. General manager Jason Licht and director of football administration Mike Greenberg need to first figure out which way the NFL is going to go with its salary cap in 2021 and then act accordingly.

It’s a sure bet that Greenberg, the team’s salary cap wizard, has a plan for both potential avenues, but he – like his cap counterparts around the NFL – has to be hoping for a flat cap because it would be much easier to navigate next year without a $40 million decrease. With it being a question of “when” rather than “if” regarding new deals for David and Godwin, let’s take a look at what those new contracts could look like for the Bucs.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

One thing is sure for players like David and Godwin, who are entering the final year of their respective contracts this season. Despite craziness that may occur with next year’s salary cap, David and Godwin are still premier players who deserve market value deals.

David just turned 30 and is set to make $10.75 million in the sixth and final season of the contract extension he signed in 2015. David is tied for ninth with Jacksonville’s Joe Schobert when it comes to the highest paid inside linebackers.

Seattle’s Bobby Wagner is the NFL’s highest paid linebacker with an $18 million average salary, followed by New York Jets linebacker C.J. Mosley at $17 million. Atlanta’s Deion Jones and Jacksonville’s Myles Jack are next at $14.25 million.

Mosley got the most guaranteed money for an inside linebacker, cashing in on $43 million when he signed with the Jets last year. The next closest is Jack, who received $26,063,787 in guaranteed money from his new deal with the Jaguars.

David has just one Pro Bowl berth (2015) and two All-Pro designations (2013, 2016), but he’s still considered to be one of the NFL’s elite linebackers. He recorded 123 tackles to lead the Bucs last year, in addition to three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, an interception and a sack. In his eight-year career in Tampa Bay, David has 1,008 career tackles, 22.5 sacks, 21 forced fumbles, 14 fumble recoveries, 11 interceptions, a defensive touchdown and a safety.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Licht and Greenberg love David and want to get him signed to a long-term extension that will enable him to retire as a Buccaneer, so the guess here is that David signs a four- or five-year contract extension worth an average of at least $14.25 million per season. That would put him on par with the contracts of Jack and Jones, and just behind Mosley and Wagner.

David is a team player and might even take a little less than that to help Tampa Bay’s very tight salary cap situation in 2020 and 2021, as long as there is in excess of $24.5 million in guaranteed money. I have no knowledge of what David is asking for in terms of an extension, nor do I know what the Bucs are willing to pay.

Yet at the bare minimum, David should at least make more than $13.5 million per year, which is what former teammate Kwon Alexander makes with his new deal in San Francisco. David is a better linebacker than Alexander and deserves to be paid more.

As for Godwin, he’s coming off a record year with 86 catches for 1,333 yards (15.5 avg.) and nine touchdowns and led the Bucs in all of those categories last year despite missing the final two games of the season with a hamstring injury. The year prior, Godwin had 59 catches for 842 yards (14.3 avg.) with seven touchdowns.

Godwin earned his first Pro Bowl berth following the 2020 season, and at age 24, his best football is ahead of him. He’s set to earn $2.133 million this year and has a cap value of $2,331,041 due to his prorated signing bonus.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Spotrac has Godwin’s market value at $16.8 million, which might seem like a lot given the fact that he has just one 1,000-yard season and one Pro Bowl under his belt. Yet Godwin plays the important slot receiver position in Bruce Arians’ offense, and should be a 1,000-yard receiver every year for years to come.

Atlanta’s Julio Jones is the NFL’s highest paid receiver, averaging $22 million per season. Dallas’ Amari Cooper is next with a $20 million average, followed by New Orleans’ Michael Thomas at $19.25 million.

Cincinnati’s A.J. Green is at $18.171 million, while Kansas City’s Tyreek Hill and Cleveland’s Odell Beckham, Jr. are at $18 million even. Godwin’s teammate Mike Evans, a three-time Pro Bowler with six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, is next, averaging $16.5 million per year.

The Bucs will want Godwin to make less than the more accomplished Evans, and Godwin is a team player and won’t try to break the bank on the heels of his one and only 1,000-yard season. I could see both sides agreeing to a five-year deal worth an average of $15.1 million, which would put Godwin on par with Cleveland’s Jarvis Landry, who had 83 catches for 1,174 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. The guess here is that Godwin will get at least $33 million in guaranteed money.

That contract would put Godwin ahead of Green Bay’s Davante Adams ($14.5 million), Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs ($14.5 million), Chicago’s Allen Robinson ($14 million), Indianapolis’ T.Y. Hilton ($13 million) and Philadelphia’s Alshon Jeffery ($13 million), and just behind Minnesota’s Adam Thielen, Arizona’s DeAndre Hopkins and Houston’s Brandin Cooks, who all make $16.2 million.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Getty Images

David and Godwin stand to cash in some lucrative contract extensions with the Bucs and some hefty raises. It’s not a question of “if it will happen,” but rather a question of “when it will happen,” and nothing is going to happen until the NFL and the NFLPA agree on what the 2021 salary cap will look like first. That conclusion could be known before the 2020 season starts, but at the very least it will be known before the start of free agency in the 2021 offseason.

Either way, David and Godwin will remain Buccaneers and won’t hit free agency next March.

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