Chris Godwin is a good player. On the open market, considering the other options in free agency along with a limited draft class, he’s an incredibly enticing option.
The question is whether Godwin gets there or not.
Godwin, 29, is coming off a gruesome dislocated ankle, ending what had the makings of a great season. The veteran played in just seven games and caught 50 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns for the NFC South champs.
Now, he’s only a week away from hitting free agency and being one of the top wideouts available alongside Davante Adams. With Tee Higgins receiving the franchise tag from the Cincinnati Bengals and Deebo Samuel being traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Washington Commanders, the receiver market is already shrinking for teams still looking.
So which three teams are the best landing spots for Godwin? Let’s take a look.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers and Godwin agreed to move back the void date on his contract, signaling the two sides are willing to work toward a long-term deal.
If Godwin returns, Tampa Bay has one of the more explosive offenses in the league with Baker Mayfield under center, Mike Evans and Godwin on the outside, and second-year man Bucky Irving in the backfield.
Frankly, it doesn’t make a ton of sense for general manager Jason Licht to let Godwin walk. Tampa Bay has a bit of a cap crunch with only $7.7 million in space, making the usage of a franchise tag tough here. Still, Licht could move money around with restructures and extensions, giving the Buccaneers more than enough cap space to keep their veteran star in-house.
2. Los Angeles Chargers
No quality team needs a receiver more than the Chargers. Last season, Los Angeles made it back to the playoffs in new coach Jim Harbaugh’s first year, and did it with Ladd McConkey as the only viable target for star quarterback Justin Herbert.
Going into this offseason, the Chargers have a ton of cap space at $66.3 million, sitting fifth in the NFL. General manager Joe Hortiz spent most of last winter cleaning house by getting rid of veterans such as wideouts Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, resetting both the books and the roster in the process.
This winter, edge rusher Khalil Mack and corner Asante Samuel Jr. are both hitting free agency, while defensive end Joey Bosa could eventually be headed out as well. To counterbalance those defensive losses, Horitz has to find more offensive firepower. Someone like Godwin would be a huge addition for Harbaugh’s team as the Chargers look to dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.
3. Houston Texans
The Texans are undoubtedly a dark horse here, but their situation is being overlooked from a national perspective.
Houston has Nico Collins, but the rest of the receiver room is a huge question mark. Tank Dell had a gruesome leg injury against the Chiefs in Week 16 and could miss the entire 2025 season as he recovers. Additionally, Stefon Diggs is coming off a torn ACL and is hitting free agency. Even with a return to Houston, he might not be ready for Week 1.
General manager Nick Caserio spent last offseason upgrading the defense while trading for Diggs. Could he decide to invest some dollars in the offense this time around, adding a weapon for quarterback C.J. Stroud? Provided Caserio can open up a little cap space, it would make sense for a team that’s trying to get to the Super Bowl after being ousted in the Divisional round each of the past two years.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Free Agency 2025: Top Three Landing Spots for Chris Godwin.
