Buccaneers' Chris Godwin: Working toward long-term deal

Godwin and the Buccaneers will continue discussions Wednesday, hoping to reach agreement on a long-term contract before Thursday's 4 p.m. ET deadline for franchise-tagged players, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

If no deal gets done, Godwin will be locked in for a $15.98 million franchise tender. The Bucs already have a host of veteran players on expensive contracts, but given that most of those expire after 2021 or 2022, it's easy enough to make room for Godwin if they backload cap hits on his long-term deal. The 25-year-old wide receiver played 12 games in the regular season and four more in the playoffs in 2020, catching 81 of 116 targets for 1,072 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 appearances overall. The Bucs have a similarly impressive roster in 2021 -- including excellent depth at wide receiver -- so while Godwin should remain efficient, his volume may not return to its 2019 level (121 targets in 14 games, 8.6 average).