Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chris Godwin has been with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers his entire NFL career, and the NFC South team reportedly doesn't want that to change heading into the 2025 campaign.

ESPN's Jenna Laine reported Thursday "the Bucs absolutely want Godwin back and will do everything in their power to make that happen, with no concern about his recovery from a dislocated left ankle in Week 7."

Godwin suffered the season-ending dislocated ankle that required surgery in an October game against the Baltimore Ravens and was taken off the field with an air cast on his leg.

Yet he has a history of bouncing back from serious injuries, as he played 15 games in 2022 and all 17 games in 2023 after he tore his ACL and MCL late in the 2021 season. Laine pointed out "there is precedent" for Tampa Bay still giving him a major contract after such an injury, as it signed him to a three-year deal worth more than $60 million after the 2021 setback.

All Godwin did then was go for more than 1,000 receiving yards in 2022 and 2023, giving him four such seasons with that accomplishment.

He was well on his way to doing so again in 2024 with 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns in seven games prior to the ankle injury. And the Penn State product is also just 28 years old and has demonstrated chemistry with Baker Mayfield and an understanding of how to take advantage of the openings created by the attention Mike Evans draws.

Tampa Bay is coming off four straight division titles and seems to have found its answer at quarterback in Mayfield.

Wanting to maintain as much continuity as possible in an offense that features no shortage of playmakers in Evans, Godwin, Bucky Irving and Cade Otton, among others, comes as no surprise given the recent track record of success.

That would mean bringing back Godwin, and that is reportedly exactly what the front office wants to do.

The end of Mike Evans' NFL career could come in the next few years, but his playing days may not be over.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers star said he'd "most likely" be retired by 2028, and if he is, he'll suit up for the United States Olympic flag football team.

"This is good practice for me," Evans told reporters Saturday regarding the flag football at the Pro Bowl Games, via Tampa Free Press' Rock Riley (h/t NFL.com's Bobby Kownack). "The Olympics, most likely I'll be retired by 2028, how many years is that? Three years, I don't know. But if I am retired, I would definitely like to play in the Olympics."

After the Paris Olympics came to a close in August, the focus quickly shifted to Los Angeles 2028, which will feature flag football for the first time in Olympic history. Naturally, the addition of flag football had fans urging NFL players to get involved.

Evans isn't the only player to express interest in flag football at the Olympics, as Miami Dolphins star receiver Tyreek Hill called for NFL players to team up to "bring one home" in 2028.

Having a speedy receiver like Hill alongside a massive target such as Evans would be quite the spectacle, but only time will tell if they decide to pursue gold in a few years.

It's also unclear whether Evans will be retired or still playing by 2028. The veteran will be nearly 35 by the time the Olympics roll around, but he's still going strong right now. He's coming off his 11th straight season with at least 1,000 receiving yards, tying legendary receiver Jerry Rice's record. He barely reached the mark this year, recording 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns, but he also missed a handful of games.

Before Evans thinks about winning gold, he'll continue chasing his second Super Bowl victory. The Bucs are coming off a fifth straight postseason appearance but couldn't get past the divisional round while dealing with a handful of injuries. Tampa Bay will look to return a healthy roster next season and get closer to its championship goal

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield quipped he "left him on read" when asked about his final conversation with Liam Coen when Coen took the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching job.

At the Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Florida, Mayfield told reporters he "can't be mad" at Coen deciding to leave the Bucs for a bigger job:

Mayfield may not begrudge Coen for his decision, but he's probably not thrilled about the idea he has his third different offensive coordinator in as many seasons with Tampa.

Coen replaced Dave Canales, who left to become the Carolina Panthers head coach last offseason. The Bucs tried to preserve some continuity by promoting Josh Grizzard to replace Coen rather than going with another outside hire.

Mayfield spoke positively about Grizzard, calling him "a great guy" and "unbelievably smart."

Coen's hiring by Jacksonville was a testament to his success during a brief run in Tampa.

The Buccaneers averaged the third-most yards (399.5) and fourth-most points (29.5) per game. Mayfield tied for the league lead in interceptions with 16 but blew past his previous career bests in passing yards (4,500) and touchdowns (41). Wide receiver Mike Evans extended his streak of 1,000-yard seasons to 11.

Grizzard will have big shoes to fill. Should Tampa Bay's offense take a big step backward in 2025, Mayfield might be leaving him on read for a much different reason.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reportedly found their new offensive coordinator after Liam Coen left to become the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Friday that Tampa Bay promoted pass-game coordinator Josh Grizzard to the role. Garafolo noted Tampa Bay "keeps continuity and hands the play-calling reins over to a coach who is highly regarded in the building" with this move.

Coen's departure was certainly a roller-coaster ride for the franchise.

As Nick Shook of NFL.com detailed, Coen was initially a candidate for the Jaguars but pulled out of consideration and appeared to be heading back to Tampa Bay with a pay raise. However, he went back to visit with Jacksonville after it fired general manager Trent Baalke.

The Buccaneers attempted to get a hold of him when he was visiting the Jaguars, and Coen eventually reached out to head coach Todd Bowles.

Still, the result was Coen moving to the AFC South and leaving the Bucs with a sudden OC opening.

That vacancy is no more following the promotion of Grizzard.

The 2024 campaign was his first season as Tampa Bay's pass-game coordinator after he spent seven years on the staff with the Miami Dolphins. He was a quality control coach and a wide receivers coach at different times during his tenure with Miami.

Grizzard found success in his first year with the Buccaneers, as quarterback Baker Mayfield set career highs in completion percentage (71.4), passing yards (4,500) and passing touchdowns (41) while leading the team to an NFC South crown.

It was the fourth straight division championship for Tampa Bay and second straight with Mayfield under center.

There is something to be said about maintaining some continuity in the system with a quarterback who is playing the best football of his career, and that is exactly what the Buccaneers did with this move.

The belief around NFL front offices is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will work to re-sign free agent wide receiver Chris Godwin, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"Multiple execs expect the Bucs to try to re-sign Godwin, who has that Buc-for-life feel similar to Mike Evans," Fowler wrote.

The Bucs signed Evans to a two-year, $52 million deal last March ahead of his 11th season with the franchise.

Godwin, who has played eight seasons in Tampa Bay, was leading the NFL with 50 receptions through seven games in 2024 before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury. Spotrac projects he will get a three-year, $67 million deal on his next contract.

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht selected Godwin in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has gone on to become one of the most successful receivers in franchise history, ranking second behind only Evans in career receiving yards (7,266), receiving touchdowns (39) and receptions (579.)

Godwin also played a key role in the Bucs' Super Bowl win following the 2020 season, when he led Tampa Bay with 232 receiving yards in four playoff wins.

Although Godwin has proved to be a consistent producer with three straight 1,000-yard campaigns following the championship win, there could be some concerns about his health going forward after undergoing surgery on his dislocated ankle in October.

Given that he was on pace for a fourth consecutive quadruple-digit receiving yards total before the injury, he will still likely command a high price in free agency as he prepares to return to the field next fall.

The Buccaneers may need to decide whether they can compete with the offers Godwin might receive on the open market, or if they can turn to cheaper, younger options like Jalen McMillan and Trey Palmer next season.

That would mean even more turnover for an offense already set to undergo major changes in 2025. The Bucs are currently in search of a new offensive coordinator after losing Liam Coen to the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coaching vacancy.

Keeping Godwin in the fold could help Tampa Bay, which successfully implemented one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NFL last season, lean on their veteran receiving duo while adjusting to a new system next fall.

Baker Mayfield couldn't beat Jayden Daniels in the NFC Wild Card Round, but he is replacing the Washington Commanders quarterback in the Pro Bowl.

Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk reported Tuesday that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller was named as a Pro Bowl replacement for Daniels after the latter decided to pull out of the event after leading his team to Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

Mayfield will join Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions and Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings as the three quarterbacks representing the NFC.

This marks two Pro Bowl appearances in two years with the Buccaneers for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL draft. It is a testament to his ability to stabilize his career after inconsistency in Cleveland and bouncing around to the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams that he will be in Orlando, Florida, for the event.

The Oklahoma product led the Buccaneers to the NFC South crown, which marked their second division title with Mayfield under center and fourth straight overall.

He did so by completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. While the interception number was something of a concern as the highest in the league, he also set career-best marks in completion percentage, yards and touchdown throws.

While the Buccaneers fell short in a 23-20 loss to Daniels' Commanders in the postseason, Mayfield threw for two touchdowns without an interception and looks like the long-term answer for the club.

Mayfield will be part of a Pro Bowl that doesn't exactly look like the Pro Bowl of old.

Instead, there will be a Pro Bowl Skills Show with events such as a passing competition, dodgeball and a relay race. There is also a 7-on-7 flag football game that is designed to minimize injuries while ensuring there is still an actual game-like competition included.

The Skills Show is Thursday, while the flag football game is Sunday.

Amid the wild saga that saw Liam Coen leave his post as Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, Coen reportedly informed key member of the Bucs organization at one point that he would be staying.

According to ESPN's Dan Graziano (h/t ESPN's Michael DiRocco and Jenna Laine), Bucs general manager Jason Licht asked Coen what it would take to keep him in Tampa after his first head coaching interview with Jacksonville.

Coen reportedly wanted to be the highest-paid coordinator in the NFL at between $4 million and $5 million per year, which Bucs ownership signed off on as long as Coen did not take a second interview with the Jags.

On Tuesday night, Coen reportedly texted Licht, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, quarterback Baker Mayfield and other Bucs players to say he was staying in Tampa.

However, Coen never officially signed the contract, and he took another interview in Jacksonville after the Jaguars fired general manager Trent Baalke. The Jags then hired him as their head coach Thursday night.

The 39-year-old Coen has made several stops at the collegiate and NFL levels, but he seemingly first rose to prominence coaching under Sean McVay with the Los Angeles Rams.

After serving as an assistant wide receivers coach and assistant quarterbacks coach with the Rams from 2018 to 2020, Coen served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Kentucky in 2021.

He returned to the Rams in 2022 as their offensive coordinator after the Minnesota Vikings hired previous Rams OC Kevin O'Connell as their head coach.

Coen went back to Kentucky one more time in 2023 as the Wildcats' OC in 2023, but it was another one-year stint, as the Bucs called him back to the NFL.

In 2023, Bucs offensive coordinator Dave Canales resurrected Mayfield's career, as the veteran quarterback set what were career highs at the time with 4,044 passing yards and 28 touchdowns.

Canales did such a good job with Mayfield that the Carolina Panthers hired him to be their head coach and a mentor for your quarterback Bryce Young.

Bowles brought Coen in as a replacement for Canales, and both Mayfield and the offense as a whole got even better with Coen calling the plays.

Tampa went from ranking 23rd in total offense and 20th in scoring in 2023 to third in total offense and fourth in scoring in 2024.

Also, Mayfield had a career year, completing 71.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns, although he did lead the league with 16 picks.

Even the rushing offense improved dramatically, going from 32nd in rushing yardage in both 2022 and 2023 to fourth in 2024 thanks largely to the emergence of rookie running back Bucky Irving.

Now, Coen will look to do something similar in Jacksonville and he will have some high-end talent to work with in quarterback Trevor Lawrence, running back Travis Etienne and wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.

Despite their talent, the Jags went a highly disappointing 4-13 this season, but Jaguars leadership clearly believes Coen is the right guy to get things back on track.

As for the Bucs, they have now churned out two consecutive head coaches from the OC spot in Canales and Coen, and their offensive coordinator opening figures to be among the most coveted assistant coaching positions available.

The strange saga that reportedly ended with Liam Coen deciding to become head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars is not sitting well with his now-former employer.

Appearing on Friday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN's Adam Schefter explained the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are "irate" over Coen's actions prior to accepting the Jags job.

It appeared Coen was going to return for a second season with the Bucs as offensive coordinator in 2025. He withdrew from consideration for the Jaguars job on Wednesday and was going to sign a new deal with Tampa Bay.

Per Greg Auman of Fox Sports, Coen's extension with the Bucs was going to make him one of the highest-paid offensive coordinators in the NFL with an annual salary close to $4.5 million.

A few hours after Coen's decision, the Jaguars announced a parting of ways with general manager Trent Baalke. Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reported on Thursday that Coen was in Jacksonville for a second interview with the team.

Per The Athletic's Jeff Howe, Coen informed the Bucs he was taking the Jaguars job.

In between Coen's interview and being hired by the Jaguars, he was reportedly doing his best to avoid all contact with Buccaneers officials.

ESPN's Jenna Laine did note Coen reached out to Bucs head coach Todd Bowles to let him know he was interviewing with the Jaguars.

Despite the roundabout way this whole thing happened, the Jaguars should be very happy with how it worked out. Not only did they fire Baalke, which should have happened immediately after the regular season ended anyway, but they landed an intriguing coach with a terrific background in developing quarterbacks to work with Trevor Lawrence.

Coen has four years of experience working with Sean McVay during his time with the Los Angeles Rams. His one season as offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay produced the best year of Baker Mayfield's career, including 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns.

The Buccaneers are absolutely right to feel like they were jilted, but the bigger frustration is having to replace Coen after a terrific offensive performance in 2024.

Baker Mayfield shouldered the blame for a fumble in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 23-20 loss against the Washington Commanders, as he was attempting to hand the ball off to wide receiver Jalen McMillan on a jet sweep.

The Commanders promptly scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession.

"That comes back to me, just timing it up correctly," Mayfield told reporters. "First one all year that it happened on. So obviously the timing of it not great, being backed up. Defense had done a hell of a job getting us the ball, another fourth-down stop and yeah, unfortunate, but that falls on me."

"Just some dumb stuff today that cost the team," he added. "That's going to wear on me for a while."

The Bucs wouldn't have been in position to even host a playoff game this season if it weren't for Mayfield's fantastic season, of course. The veteran quarterback continued his career glow-up in 2024, throwing for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while completing 71.4 percent of his passes and taking 40 sacks.

He's had a career resurgence in Tampa Bay, leading the team to a second straight postseason. This year's Wild Card Round didn't go to plan, but Mayfield still has the Buccaneers on the right path.