Buccaneers' Chris Godwin was 'really close' to leaving Tampa Bay in free agency

When free agency officially kicked off on Monday, it didn't take long for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to come to an agreement with their star receiver Chris Godwin on a new 3-year, $66 million contract.

On Tuesday, Godwin was present at the Buccaneers' facility for a joint press conference with the team's general manager, Jason Licht, to discuss the decision. As he always is, Godwin was thoughtful, articulate, and appreciative when discussing his decision to stay in Tampa Bay.

After the press conference had concluded, Godwin was kind enough to give some additional time to a few different reporters in a more intimate interview environment. One of those was a video interview with Sara Walsh and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. And although Godwin was equally as delightful during this interview as he was during his presser, he did unveil a very interesting detail about his decision.

When asked whether or not he believed there was a chance he might be playing in a different uniform next season, Godwin responded, "I mean, to be honest, I feel like we were really close (to leaving),"

Chris made a point of going into specific detail regarding how many moving parts need to be considered when making such a significant decision.

"When it comes to a situation like that, you have to really, really consider it. Me and Mariah, we had some really tough conversations. Had some really tough conversations with my agent. Because at the end of the day, you're trying to figure out what's going to be best for our family. Not everybody would make that decision, and I'm not faulting anybody that would."

That said, when push came to shove, Godwin made the decision to stick with his gut, and do what felt right.

"But at the end of the day, like I was mentioning in the presser, I have to go based off my gut, I have to go based off my intuition and what I think is going to be best for us in the long run. Being here, where we call home, where we feel the most comfortable, where we can raise our newborn son, I think all those things are big factors for us in making this decision."

Since he signed with the Bucs, it has been reported that Chris Godwin left roughly $20 million on the table when he decided to stay in Tampa Bay as opposed to signing elsewhere. Although Godwin has admitted that he seriously considered his options, it's obvious that his heart remains with the team that drafted him.