Getty Justin Fields and head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears celebrate their Week 3 win.
The Chicago Bears are holding an almost unbeatable hand this offseason, and there are a dozen ways they can go to build a much-improved roster in 2023.
One area of obvious need is the wide receiver room, which hasn’t yet produced a 500-yard campaign for any Bears pass catcher with just two games remaining. A handful of big names at the position who still have gas in the tank should be in play as trade targets this offseason, including Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Bucs (7-8) are one game ahead of the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South, and remain likely to win the division and a home game as the conference’s No. 4 seed. However, this Tampa Bay team is a far cry from the one that captured the 2020 Super Bowl, and even the one that lost late in the divisional round of last year’s playoffs against the eventual champion Los Angeles Rams.
Quarterback Tom Brady is expected to either retire or look for a better situation elsewhere after his contract expires at the end of the year, at which point the Bucs’ status as a perennial playoff team would be in serious question. Tampa Bay extended Godwin on a three-year deal worth $60 million prior to this season, an expensive and short-term contract for a bonafide playmaker that makes considerably less sense for a franchise with legitimate concerns under center.
Godwin Would Immediately Become Bears’ Top Wide Receiver Option
GettyWide receiver Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
On Friday, December 30, Jarrett Bailey of Bears Wire pitched Godwin as a top trade target for Chicago and a way to enhance the play of breakout quarterback Justin Fields.
Bailey noted the considerable improvement other young NFL signal callers have seen after their teams added a bonafide No. 1 option at receiver.
We’ve seen young quarterbacks struggle and then turn things around when they get an elite target. Jalen Hurts and the [Philadelphia] Eagles lacked an identity last season, and A.J. Brown fixed that. The same can be said about Tyreek Hill in Miami with Tua Tagovailoa.
The Buccaneers’ downfall has been one of the stories of the season, and it could end with Tom Brady wearing another uniform in 2023. It seemed imminent that Godwin would sign elsewhere in free agency last offseason before Brady came out of retirement.
If Brady does leave, it would be hard to imagine Godwin wanting to stick around. He’s a talented receiver that would garner a lot of attention on the market, and he would provide the Bears with a downfield threat, as well as someone who can win at the line of scrimmage and get open underneath.
Godwin’s Injury History Creates Moderate Risk For Bears in Potential Trade
GettyWide receiver Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers reacts after scoring a touchdown during a game against the New York Giants at Raymond James Stadium on November 22, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Bucs gave Godwin that contract despite the fact that the wide receiver suffered a torn ACL in December of 2021, ending his season.
He has bounced back solidly this year, putting up 848 yards and three touchdowns on 89 catches across 13 appearances, per Pro Football Reference. Godwin tallied a career-high 98 catches for 1,103 yards and five touchdowns in 14 games played last season.
A top wideout is necessary to help Fields take the next step in his evolution. Already a historic runner of the football from the QB position, Fields’ passing numbers have been mediocre in his second campaign.
A 26-year-old Godwin has proven durable after his injury and is a safe financial bet relative to the current wide receiver market in the NFL, where the top-paid players are making upwards of $30 million annually — a yearly figure that is expected to rise with contracts for the likes of Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase over the next couple of years.