The sad truth for any NFL player is you can tell your worth with your team, at any given point in your career, by sitting for three days and watching the NFL draft.
The latter is the position Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin finds himself in headed into 2024 after his team selected talented Washington wide receiver Jalen McMillan in the third round (No. 92 overall).
It’s a move that Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks could make Godwin expendable because both Godwin and McMillan are slot receivers.
“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a tough contract decision brewing with Chris Godwin entering the final year of his contract,” Ballentine wrote. “They also have a promising rookie receiver they drafted in the third round in Jalen McMillan. At training camp, their storylines will converge. McMillan will enter his first training camp looking to earn a role in the offense. Mike Evans and Godwin are clearly the No. 1 and 2 receivers. Trey Palmer fits somewhere in the occasion and McMIllan will try to earn the respect of his teammates and coaches at training camp.
“There’s reason to believe that McMillan will not only do that, but also have an impact on the Bucs’ upcoming decision regarding Godwin. The veteran receiver is set to play his age-28 season for the Bucs with a cap hit of $27.5 million. They already have a void year on the books next year at $18.9 million.”
Buccaneers’ rookies report to training camp on July 22, with veterans reporting on July 23.
Godwin One of NFL’s Most Consistent Receivers
Godwin’s move to play outside receiver in 2023 was disastrous, but he bounced back late in the season by moving back to the slot and ended up with a third consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season.
Godwin has been the Robin to Evans’ Batman for his entire career, including an NFL All-Pro season in 2019 and a Super Bowl win in 2020. He’s also in the final year of a 3-year, $60 million contract extension he signed in March 2022.
“The problem is Godwin saw his production dip a bit in 2023,” Ballentine wrote. “He still had 1,024 yards but he only had 83 receptions (compared to 104 the season before), and his success rate went from 60.6 to 50.0 percent.
“He was asked to play outside more than usual in Dave Canales’ offense. Perhaps a move back to the slot will reignite his production, but there’s also a chance that McMillan has been drafted to be Godwin’s replacement.”
Injuries Hurt McMillan’s Draft Stock
McMillan had 79 receptions for 1,098 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022 but those numbers fell to 45 receptions for 559 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2023 after he missed 8 games due to injury.
Unfortunately for McMillan, his injury-filled season came as Washington had one of its best years in program history, making it to the College Football Playoff national championship game and No. 8 overall pick Rome Odunze of the Chicago Bears became one of college football’s premiere receivers — a role McMillan may have taken on were it not for being hurt.
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