The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans wondered if the defining image of Chris Godwin’s career would be of him being carted off the field at Raymond James Stadium.

On a Monday night in October, Godwin suffered a broken fibula and severely dislocated ankle, devastating injuries that ended his season.

With Godwin set to hit free agency after 2024, the question arose whether the Bucs would bring their No. 2 receiver back for a ninth season.

They got their answer Wednesday, the first day of free agency, when Godwin signed a three-year, $60 million deal to stay in Tampa.

Bucs Roundtable will take a look at where each of the Buccaneers' 2025 free agents stands going into this year's cycle. Our series has featured offensive lineman Charlie Heck, linebacker Haason Reddick cornerback Kindle Vildor and punter Riley Dixon.

The series will also include players who were on the Bucs before 2025 that the team decided to resign.

Godwin’s injury in 2024 was so severe that he missed the first three games of the 2025 season still recovering. Godwin returned for the team’s Sept. 28 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but ended up suffering a separate injury the next weekend against the Seahawks in Seattle. 

This injury was another fibula injury, and it caused Godwin to miss the next six weeks.

Two games into his second comeback, Godwin played a big role in the Bucs’ 20-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals, ending the contest with 78 yards on five catches.

Godwin had another big afternoon Dec. 28, ending the day with 108 yards and a touchdown on seven catches in a loss to the Dolphins in Miami.

Overall, Godwin ended his abbreviated season with 360 yards and two touchdowns on 51 catches, with both touchdowns coming in the month of December.

All of these were the lowest totals of what’s been a stored career for Godwin in Tampa Bay.

The Bucs drafted Godwin in the third round (84th overall) out of Penn State in 2017.

Three seasons later, he was an All-Pro, and the season after that, he helped the Bucs win the Super Bowl.

From 2019-23, Godwin eclipsed 1,000 yards four times, with the only exception being in that 2020 Super Bowl season, when he was limited to 12 games. 

Godwin still ended that campaign with 840 yards and seven touchdowns on 65 catches, and came up big for the Bucs in the playoffs. In the Wildcard win over the Washington Commanders, Godwin had 79 yards and a touchdown on five catches.

In the NFC Championship against the Packers on Green Bay, Godwin broke the century mark, going for 110 yards on five catches.

Godwin is the second-leading receiver in Bucs history, trailing only Mike Evans, who recently departed to the San Francisco 49ers after 12 seasons in Tampa. 

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