Following Mike Evans' departure, a healthy Chris Godwin Jr. embraces a veteran mentorship role while mastering coordinator Zac Robinson’s new collaborative offensive scheme in Tampa Bay.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had some major changes this offseason, especially with the departure of former Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans, who left the team in March via free agency, signing with the San Francisco 49ers. But they still have a veteran presence in the receiving core with Chris Godwin Jr.
Godwin Jr. spoke with reporters after a recent OTA practice about his leadership and approach throughout the off-season, saying, "I do not know everything, and I learn from them the same way that they learn from me, and it is kind of a collaborative effort."
"If I see something that might be able to help, then I loan that advice because that is what I would have wanted in myself that the older guys did for me,” Godwin said, “give advice when I see fit. I am not just trying to speak just to speak."
Tampa Bay brought in a new offensive coordinator in Zac Robinson, who was last with the Atlanta Falcons the previous two seasons. Throughout his tenure in Atlanta, the offense had done well at times, being ranked 6th in Total offense in 2024. But in 2025, the offensive production decreased, ranking 14th in Total Offense, averaging 333.0 yards and 20.8 points per game. Robinson signed to be the Bucs OC in January 2026.
“The first thing that has stood out to me about Zac is that he does a really good job of teaching the offense," Godwin said of Robinson.
"You can tell that he has experience calling plays and installing offenses, and he has been around some great coaching. When he is installing it, he is confident in what he is doing, and he knows what he is talking about, so when he is on the field, he does not feel like he needs to yell at guys to get his point across,” Godwin said. “Schematically, it is very similar to what he has done in the past, but with his own little twist on it. It will be cool to see how he calls it in-game, and I have really enjoyed what I have seen so far, and how open he is to collaboration with players."
Godwin was drafted by the Buccaneers in the 2017 NFL Draft with the 84th overall pick. Throughout his career in Tampa, Godwin has accumulated 612 catches for 7626 yards and 41 touchdowns. Godwin has dealt with injuries recently, such as an ankle that hindered him in 2024 and 2025. But it's been reported that he's healthy this off-season.
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