Ex-Penn State Football WR Chris Godwin cashes in on Buccaneers’ tag

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are running it back with former Penn State wide receiver Chris Godwin.

Earlier this month, the Buccaneers opted to use the franchise tag on Godwin, choosing to tag him over pass-rusher Shaq Barrett, keeping him in a Tampa Bay uniform for one more season at a salary that is the average of the top-five receivers in the NFL.

Thursday, Godwin officially put pen to paper, signing the tag.

Godwin, under the tag, will make $15.9 million this season.

But, just like any other player who is tagged, the Buccaneers and Godwin can still negotiate a long-term contract at anytime, and it would likely behoove Tampa Bay to try to in an effort to spread out his guaranteed money and lower his cap hit for the 2020 season.

After signing his tag, Godwin carries the second-highest cap charge on the Buccaneers’ roster, trailing only fellow wide receiver Mike Evans, who is set to count $16.637 million against the cap this upcoming season.

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht has deftly managed the cap in recent weeks, signing Barrett to a long-term contract, inking quarterback Tom Brady to an extension, while also bringing back Godwin and tight end Rob Gronkowski in an effort to defend Tampa’s Super Bowl championship.

Penn State head coach James Franklin, who coached Godwin in Happy Valley, unsurprisingly is a big fan of the Buccaneer’s burgeoning star.

“Chris really is a throwback,” Fanklin recently told FanSided. “He’s a coach’s dream because he’s high-production and low maintenance, and he’s a quarterback’s best friend because he’s all substance and no flash.”