Encouraged to extend star player (who isn’t Tristan Wirfs), Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might not be done signing off on new contracts this offseason.

This spring, general manager Jason Licht continued to be busy, inking new contracts with Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans, Lavonte David, and Antoine Winfield Jr.
Be truthful. Did you think 2024 would see all of those elite players return? The Bucs spent $237.4 million this summer on contract extensions, which is the fourth-highest amount in the league, according to Spotrac.

Licht may need to ensure another star player signs an extension before too long. Tristan Wirfs only has a year remaining on his contract and is an obvious candidate for a new deal. However, ESPN believes the Buccaneers should prioritize extending another veteran first.

ESPN believes extending Chris Godwin is ‘final’ move Buccaneers need to make before training camp

With training camp just around the corner, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz wrote about the “final” moves each team in the league should make. He believes the Buccaneers should work on an extension with wide receiver Chris Godwin.

“Godwin’s contract voids after the 2024 season, but let’s not overthink this. He’s absolutely an above-average NFL starting wide receiver and someone Tampa Bay wants to keep around,” writes Schatz. “An extension might also help spread out the cap hit for Godwin over the three void years where the Bucs would be carrying dead money for him under the current contract.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Godwin is an “above-average” wide receiver? Three straight 1,000-yard seasons count as just above average? OK.

But that’s another conversation. Extending Godwin is an interesting one, as the Buccaneers spent a third-round pick on Jalen McMillan. Can they afford to pay Godwin and Evans in the same offseason?

Schatz notes that the Buccaneers might benefit from an extension in that it would help them spread out the salary cap hits. Despite Godwin’s contract expiring, Spotrac reports that they will still pay $27.53 million this year in addition to $18.85 million in dead money in 2025.

In addition to re-signing Godwin, the Buccaneers must quickly come to an agreement on a long-term contract with Wirfs.