The Patriots and Chris Godwin: It's no secret that the Patriots will be pursuing upgrades at the wide receiver position during the offseason. New England's receiving corps left a lot to be desired in 2024, even as rookie quarterback Drake Maye showed immense potential.
To help address this, new head coach Mike Vrabel could oversee a free agent addition. And while the projected free agent class at wide receiver is not expected to be very deep, there are a few possibilities for New England. One is former Super Bowl champion Chris Godwin.
Godwin, 29, has played his entire career with the Buccaneers, having played alongside Tom Brady in the Super Bowl LV win. In 2024, he recorded 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns in seven games before surgery to repair a dislocated ankle ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
There remains a "very realistic" chance Godwin stays with the Buccaneers, per NFL Network's Sara Walsh (based on recent team history regarding its own free agents).
Still, as Boston Sports Journal's Mike Giardi explained on Friday morning, Godwin "will be incredibly sought after" if he hits the open market as an unrestricted free agent.
"Patriots expected to be the driver there," Giardi added. "It's gonna cost more money than you would have thought (think in excess of $25 million per) despite the season-ending injury."
While it might be a steep price tag, Vrabel has previously acknowledged the possibility of having to "overpay" to get free agents in the short term.
"I like to shop like everybody else," Vrabel told reporters at the recent rookie combine. "So, when you go and there's only one of a certain car, maybe you have to pay a little bit more for that one car because there's only one of them. When you start to get into a range where you feel like there's an area where players are comparable and you like three or four players in a certain area for a certain role, you may not have to overspend.
"But it's free agency," he added, "I think everybody overspends sometimes in free agency."
The Patriots are also equipped with over $100 million in salary cap space, by far the most in the league. Should New England wish to make a significant offer to Godwin, it will be possible.
"There are some teams that could come calling with some really big paychecks," said Walsh in the Thursday segment.
"It's kind of a rough receiver market in free agency," noted fellow NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport in response. "Everybody wants Chris Godwin. He is going to do very well whether in Tampa or really anywhere else in the NFL."
Trivia: Chris Godwin has caught NFL touchdown passes from four quarterbacks in his career. One was Tom Brady. Can you name the other three?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Two won the Heisman Trophy while in college, while the other remains the only quarterback to have a passing touchdown with eight different NFL teams in his (now concluded) career.
The Bruins lost to the Hurricanes 3-2 in the final seconds.
Combine content: Some behind-the-scenes views from the Patriots' experience at the NFL's annual rookie evaluation event.
On this day: In 1982, the Celtics defeated the Knicks 107-106, though the Bruins were routed 5-1 by the Blackhawks.
Danny Ainge scored 16 points and recorded seven steals, while Robert Parish led Boston with 28 points and 12 rebounds.
Daily highlight: Steph Curry hit yet another highly improbable buzzer-beater amid a 40-point night in a win over the Nets.