We're just three weeks into a new season and already the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are being stripped for parts.
Free agency is still six months and an entire season away, but it's never too early for predictions to start. It's just the nature of the beast, and admittedly, they make for fun conversation during the season -- especially when trying to wash the sour taste of a loss out of everyone's mouth.
Buccaneers fans have gotten plenty of entertainment from offseason predictions, mainly because they've been so wrong. Despite how the national media views Tampa Bay, Hall of Fame players have chosen to sign with the Bucs and the number of guys who have left after being predicted to do so is small.
That's why the latest prediction that Chris Godwin will parlay a stellar contract season into a massive new deal with the Chicago Bears is a good bit of fun for Bucs fans to chew on while we wait for actual things to happen.
Bleacher Report went through each NFL team's offseason wishlist based on how things are going so far this year, and lists the Chicago Bears poaching Chris Godwin to help bring Caleb Williams along.
"Ryan Poles is currently projected to begin the offseason with about $73 million of cap space available, per Over The Cap, so Poles has enough funds to go after a big fish. Godwin will be one of the best wide receivers on the open market as he's logged four 1,000-yard seasons in the last five years and is off to a good start in 2024 with 253 yards in three games,"
It's not a bad prediction, especially considering the hot start Godwin has gotten off to. Even with the Bucs' offense struggling in Week 3, Godwin has 253 yards and three touchdowns which has him on pace to set new career-highs in each category. If this keeps up, Godwin is set to record over 1,400 yards which would no doubt net him a monster contract in free agency.
That's what this prediction, and likely many more makes sense. The Bears need to figure out how to surround Williams with the best possible weapons, and pairing Gowdin with D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze is potentially lethal.
Of course that's assuming the Bucs let Godwin get away. It seems that everyone thinks it's a foregone conclusion that Godwin leaves Tampa Bay this offseason, a similar sentiment to how everyone thought the Mike Evans situation would play out. Never doubt the power of Jason Licht and his ability to bring back key players on win-win deals, and there's nothing to suggest he won't be able to do that again.
If anything, this prediction highlights just how lucky the Bucs are to have Licht and to have the culture that so many players want to remain a part of. Evans, Baker Mayfield, Lavonte David, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Tristan Wirfs all re-signed with the Bucs this offseason and until Godwin is in another uniform it can't be counted out that he'll be back.
He'll have plenty of interest, though, and the better he plays the higher his price tag will get.
