When Pete Carroll took over as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in late January, he made one thing clear: His goal is to pile up wins immediately, not in the future. Free agency gives Carroll and his general manager John Spytek the best chance to add proven contributors at the NFL-level who can best help achieve that goal. Wide receiver Chris Godwin is one name to watch in particular as a potential addition during the upcoming free agency period.
Godwin began his career in the National Football League as a third-round selection by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2017 NFL Draft, the team he’s spent the entirety of his pro-career with up to this point.
When Godwin entered the NFL, he did so with John Spytek being Tampa Bay’s director of player personnel. This was a position Spytek kept until 2020 when he received a promotion, followed by another promotion in 2023. Altogether, Godwin and Spytek would spend a total of eight years together as members of the Buccaneers organization.
Today, Spyek is the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders; a team in need of help at the receiver position. As fate would have it, Chris Godwin, the eight-year associate of Spytek, is set to hit the open market mid-March. That’s a pairing that all eyes need to be on once free agency starts March 14th.
Spytek isn’t the only connection Godwin has with Sin City, either. Tom Brady, the Silver and Black’s famed minority owner, was Godwin’s quarterback for three seasons with the Buccaneers. In his three years with Brady tossing him the football, Godwin earned 2,966 yards and 15 touchdowns on 267 catches.
Brady too knows Godwin can play. That in itself may mean more than anything.
Chris Godwin and the Las Vegas Raiders: A pairing to watch once FA starts
However, you don’t need to have a football mind as incredible as Tom Brady’s to see Godwin’s abilities. This is, after all, an All-Pro receiver who earned that honor with Jameis Winston tossing him the football.
Heading into the 2024 season, Godwin was a back-to-back-to-back 1,000-yard receiver. The streak started with Brady as his quarterback in ’21, continued with Brady the following year in ’22, and kept going in ’23 with Baker Mayfield under center.
And while the streak didn’t continue in 2024, Godwin was enjoying his best campaign out of each of these seasons prior to suffering a dislocated ankle in Week 7 that effectively ended his year.
Through the first seven weeks of the NFL’s ’24 season, Godwin ranked (among all players): first in catches (50), second in receiving yardage (576), third in receiving touchdowns (5), and first in first-downs via receptions (31).
The 29-year-old’s 85.7 receiving grade via Pro Football Focus ranked seventh-highest among all players during this timeframe.
For Godwin, this was the sixth-straight season he earned a receiving grade north of 75.0. Not even his counterpart Mike Evans has accomplished this feat. In fact, Godwin finished with a higher receiving grade than Evans in five-of-six seasons since 2019.
That’s how consistently dominant the Penn State alum has been.
It was announced on Monday that the Raiders elected not to tender D.J. Turner, allowing him to hit the open market this offseason. This creates even more of a need for receivers in a receiver room already in need of help.
On the Buccaneers’ side of things, there’s no expectation for Godwin to receive the franchise tag. This would make Godwin a free agent as well, allowing him to sign wherever he chooses.
And how strange would it be if Godwin elected to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders who, on top of having multiple pre-existing strong connections with Godwin, have a starting spot on the outside waiting for him?
Not that strange? Bingo.
*Top Photo: AP Photo/ Jason Behnken
Raiders Mock Draft: GM John Spytek Revamps Chip Kelly’s Offense