How Chris Godwin’s wife played role in passing up ‘generational money’

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been busy this offseason, and perhaps their biggest win over the past few months saw them re-sign star wide receiver Chris Godwin in free agency. For a point in time, though, it didn’t seem like Godwin would be returning to the Buccaneers, but after discussing things with his wife, he ultimately decided to pass up more money to stick with Tampa Bay.

Godwin appeared to be on his way to a career year, as he caught 50 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns in seven games, but he suffered a dislocated left ankle in Week 7 that ended his season early. That didn’t prevent teams from pursuing him hard in free agency, as the New England Patriots offered him a deal worth an average of $30 million per year. Godwin and his wife, Mariah, ultimately opted to stay put, and it resulted in him signing a three-year, $66 million deal with the team.

“The Bucs made their best offer, and then the Patriots came hard, offering an average of $30 million per year on a multiyear deal, (Godwin) says. And it’s possible there was more juice to be squeezed there. The Buccaneers’ offer was for three years at $66 million, averaging $22 million per season,” Dan Pompei wrote for The Athletic.

“(Godwin’s agent Tony Dandy) explained he would be leaving generational money on the table if he passed up the Patriots’ offer … One opinion mattered to Godwin — his wife Mariah’s. They went over the possibilities and concluded they would take less, much less, to stay in Tampa.”

Chris Godwin ready to get back on the field with the Buccaneers in 2025

Now, $66 million is nothing to scoff at, but when you put the pieces of the puzzle together, it looks like Godwin could have signed a deal worth around $90 million from the Patriots. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to cause him and his family to upend their life in Tampa, and he ended up re-signing with the Buccaneers for far less than what he could have gotten elsewhere.

In the wake of his serious injury, the Bucs are going to be cautious with Godwin as he works on getting himself back on the field. But once he’s healthy, quarterback Baker Mayfield is going to have an embarrassment of riches at his disposal under center, and that figures to help Tampa Bay make a serious playoff push in 2025.