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Head coach Bruce Arians hinted the move could
be coming in February while finger-counting the number of
marquee players the team stands to lose in free agency. The move
could push linebacker Lavonte David and pass rusher Shaq
Barrett, who was tagged by the Buccaneers last March, into free
agency.
Godwin anticipated the move and told the Pat McAfee Show last
month, "I want to be here. ... The goal obviously is to get
paid, right? But I'm not stupid. I'm not going to put myself in
a situation where I'm going to be miserable for some years to
come just for a couple extra dollars."
Using the franchise tag to retain Godwin comes at a cost of
around $16 million for the 2021 season and further tightens the
salary cap for the Bucs.
One possible method of relief is a restructured contract for
quarterback Tom Brady, who has one year left on the two-year
deal he struck with the team in March 2020. Converting his
incentives -- likely to be earned -- and base salary into a
bonus could bring a savings of more than $15 million against the
2021 cap, per reports.
Godwin turned 25 in February and pairs with Mike Evans to form
one of the top wide receiver duos in the NFL. He had 65 catches
for 840 yards in 2020 despite dealing with leg, finger and elbow
injuries.
--Field Level Media
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