The New England Patriots have not become the ultra desirable location they once were during their dynasty years under Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.
Despite hiring head coach, Mike Vrabel, to go alongside the emergence of franchise quarterback, Drake Maye; the Patriots remain an unattractive option for many top free agents, particularly on offense.
So much so, it would seem, that one highly prized free agent turned down a considerable pay increase from the Pats.
Chris Godwin, per Ian Rapoport, turned down an extra $20 million from New England in order to re-sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Chris Godwin, from my understanding, left about $20 million dollars on the table”, Rapoport reports, – speaking on the Pat McAfee Show,”…I know New England was in there pretty heavy.”
Patriots Fail To Land Chris Godwin
Chris Godwin was the proverbial “apple” of Patriots’ fans collective “eye” prior to the opening of free agency tampering on Monday.
But it came to light early on that it was not to be, as the Pro Bowler signed a 3 year, $66 million deal with Bucs – a price well below high-end WR2 contemporaries such as Devonta Smith – who received $25 million/year, and Jaylen Waddle – who got over $28 million/year.
Granted, Godwin is a little older than the aforementioned pair – 29 – and is coming off a dislocated ankle in Week 7 that ended his season prematurely. However, he is still in his prime years, having come off three consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons from 2021 – 2023 before having his 2024 season cut short.
And the fact that the a team – one that Rapoport heavily implies is the Patriots – offered $20 million more over the course of the contract, can point to only two things: 1.) That New England are the cellar-dwellers on the list of potential free agent destinations, and 2.) That Chris Godwin definitively wanted to remain in Tampa Bay.
Now, it could be a combination of the two; Godwin may have felt uneasy about joining the Pats whilst simultaneously wanting to remain in Tampa if he could; but $20 million is a substantial amount of money, particularly for a wide receiver who has limited years left in the National Football League.
Why Did Godwin Choose To Stay In Tampa Bay?
Perhaps Godwin is a weather aficionado – after all, the climate in Florida certainly supersedes that of the North East. However the Super Bowl champion was born in Delaware and then chose to go to school in the Big 10 at Penn State, when he likely could have chosen to accept a recruiting offer from the SEC down south – particularly as he already left the state to become a Nittany Lion.
More likely, Godwin was turned off by the wholly uninspiring offensive setup left in the wake of former head coach, Jerod Mayo’s departure. In Tampa, he has a proven QB in Baker Mayfield, a top offensive line, an excellent receiver room and dangerous RB duo in Bucky Irving and Rachaad White.
On the other hand, every offensive unit on the Patriots’ roster; O-line, receivers, backs; remain in the bottom 10 of the NFL.
And with just one projected starter being added in free agency so far – right tackle, Morgan Moses – it seems like the Bucs’ WR2 may have made a smart decision.
Can the Pats finally find high-quality offensive free agents willing to take a chance on head coach, Mike Vrabel and QB, Drake Maye.
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