The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have narrowly lost Sunday. But they got back a valuable member of their offense in wide receiver Chris Godwin.
The veteran Bucs wideout spoke about his return and why he felt the emotions he did after their 31-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that dropped Tampa Bay to 3-1 for the season.
Godwin, of course, had not played since Week 7 of the 2024 season when he sustained a devastating ankle injury in the Bucs’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
He has played all 112 NFL in a Buccaneers uniform, since they chose him from Penn State in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and has 582 catches for 7,292 yards and 39 touchdowns for the Buccaneers in nine seasons.
‘A Ton Of Emotions Going Through’ Chris Godwin’s Brain
Godwin dislocated his ankle and was forced to leave Tampa Bay’s 41-31 home loss to Baltimore on Oct. 21, 2024. He had to have surgery and missed the Bucs’ rally to the playoffs, since they went 6-1 down the stretch to win the NFC South.
So when Godwin ran through the tunnel and onto the field at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, he had some feels.
“It was a ton of emotions going through my head,” Godwin said. “It was a surreal moment. The City of Tampa, the fans, the organization, they’ve been behind me this whole way, so to come and have that show-of-support, it meant the world to me.”
Godwin,. 29, also opened about seeing his wife Mariah, and infant son Ace — who was born in January — through the tunnel. Sunday was Ace’s first opportunity to watch his dad play on the field since he was born Jan. 2.
“That hit me very differently,” Godwin said.
Godwin spoke about the emotional lift of being with his teammates amid their 3-0 start. But playing alongside them was an even better feeling for Godwin.
“Emotionally, I was really high, just excited to be out there,” Godwin said. There’s a level of energy that comes from playing in an NFL game, and I really missed that. I got to feel that being on the sidelines and feeling that energy, and I was so eager to get back, so to feel that again was special.”
Chris Godwin Was Rusty In Return To Field
Godwin has historically been one of the most efficient pass catchers in the NFL, since he has caught 70.4 percent of his targets over his near-decade career.
Yet, he struggled to shake off the rust in his return Sunday. Godwin had three catches for 25 yards but was targeted 10 times. He admitted feeling rusty, especially in the first half where he had just one catch on five targets for seven yards.
“Some uncharacteristic things on some plays I feel I can make,” Godwin said. “I felt like I was knocking off some of the rust early in the first half. I felt a little bit better in the second half, and I would anticipate it continuing to improve over the course of the season.
“We’ve got a long way to go. I’m just excited to be a part of it and continue to grow.”
Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin Shares Honest Thoughts on Return