![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/121767822.jpg\" "\\"Godwin's")
Godwin’s loyalty to Bucs wins over bigger Patriots contract (Image via Getty) Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is trending toward a Week 1 return after suffering a serious ankle injury during the 2024 season. The team confirmed its optimism as minicamp begins, signaling that Godwin remains a key part of its offensive plans.<\/p>\n
Team monitoring progress closely as coaches stay cautiously optimistic<\/p>\n
The recovery timeline has been closely monitored by fans and analysts, especially with the Bucs relying heavily on their top wideout to reignite the offense. While no official return date has been locked in, team leaders have expressed cautious confidence in his progress.ESPN\u2019s Jenna Laine noted, \u201cGeneral manager Jason Licht has said he expects Godwin to be ready for Week 1 but hasn\u2019t gone into detail beyond that.\u201d Head coach Todd Bowles provided further clarity, saying, \u201cHe\u2019s coming around. We\u2019ll see more when we get to training camp. We\u2019re hopeful for Week 1. Nothing has changed.\u201d He added, \u201cIf anybody can come back and play, it\u2019s going to be Chris.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ankle injury halted strong season after explosive early performances<\/p>\n
Godwin went down in Week 7 with a dislocated ankle, just as he was hitting peak form with 576 receiving yards and five touchdowns in seven games. His absence was a major blow to quarterback Baker Mayfield\u2019s rhythm and the Bucs\u2019 passing attack.<\/p>\n
Godwin\u2019s loyalty to Bucs wins over bigger Patriots contract<\/p>\n
What makes his story stand out is his offseason loyalty. Godwin turned down a massive $30 million-per-year contract offer from the New England Patriots to stay in Tampa. His motivation wasn\u2019t just football\u2014it was rooted in long-standing trust and chemistry with teammate Mike Evans.\u201cNo matter who\u2019s throwing us the ball, playing alongside Mike is special,\u201d Godwin said. \u201cYears from now, when we\u2019re both done playing, we\u2019ll look back and realize how unique this was. That kind of chemistry doesn\u2019t come around often.\u201dAlso read: Aaron Rodgers sparks buzz after confirming secret marriage \u2013 Will wife Brittani appear at Steelers’ 2025 Opener?<\/a>With Mayfield under center again, the Bucs hope Godwin and Evans can reunite as one of the NFL\u2019s most reliable wideout duos\u2014if all goes well by Week 1. Godwin\u2019s return could reshape Tampa Bay\u2019s 2025 playoff ambitions\u2014if he\u2019s back to full strength in time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Godwin’s loyalty to Bucs wins over bigger Patriots contract (Image via Getty) Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":120586,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2077],"tags":[211,29397,29394,29396,7,6,29395,704,250,14443,2597,2596],"class_list":{"0":"post-120585","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa-bay-buccaneers","8":"tag-buccaneers","9":"tag-bucs-minicamp-updates","10":"tag-chris-godwin-injury-return","11":"tag-chris-godwin-patriots-offer","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-nfl-wide-receiver-news","15":"tag-tampa-bay","16":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers","17":"tag-tampa-bay-buccaneers-news","18":"tag-tampabay","19":"tag-tampabaybuccaneers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114663122816210149","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}