TAMPA, Fla. — Chris Godwin rattled off the list of the Bucs’ wide receivers, a position group teeming with talent even if much of it remains young and unproven. One name, however, was noticeably absent: Mike Evans.
The longtime Tampa Bay star signed with the 49ers in free agency, news that caught Godwin the same way it did everyone else. After hearing the reports, he immediately called quarterback Baker Mayfield to make sure it was true.
“Honestly, I didn’t believe it,” Godwin said Tuesday. “There’s a bunch of stuff that you can’t really believe, AI and stuff, so I didn’t really believe it. I texted Bake and I was like, ‘Yo, is this for real?’ And he was like, ‘Sadly.’ ”
Great NFL receivers often come in tandems: the 49ers’ Jerry Rice and John Taylor, the Steelers’ Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, the Colts’ Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne, to name a few.
Evans and Godwin rank No. 1 and No. 2 on the Bucs’ all-time receiving list and led Tampa Bay to a win over Kansas City in Super Bowl 55 following the 2020 season. But at 30 and entering his 10th NFL season, Godwin will naturally take on an even more important role both on and off the field after the split with Evans.
“Obviously, it’s going to be different because he’s not here,” Godwin said. “... I think anytime you’re missing Mike, that’s a tough situation. But fortunately, we have a room full of guys ready to go. ... It’s kind of a mix of experience and youth. Those guys are ready to go. ... They’ve been training their whole lives for these opportunities. I’m excited for them to get the opportunities they’re going to get, and you see them making plays all over the field.”
Of course, much of that group was on display a year ago, when Evans missed nine games with hamstring injuries and a broken collarbone. He finished with a career-low 30 receptions for 368 yards and three touchdowns.
Unfortunately, Godwin wasn’t able to pick up much of that slack, because he was still recovering from a dislocated ankle suffered in 2024. Now healthy, the 2017 third-round pick from Penn State has spent the offseason preparing and not recovering.
“It’s a blessing to be back out here,” Godwin said. “Anytime you have the ability to train for performance and not for recovery, it’s a huge difference. I also just enjoy being out here with my guys. I kind of found myself, like, at a school board meeting just looking at my friends playing outside. I can’t wait to be out there, and now being out here it’s a lot more fun.
“It’s like the average career is three years or something like that, and I’m going into Year 10. It’s a great blessing for me. I’m fortunate to be here, but it didn’t come easy. It’s been a lot of hard work, a lot or trials and tribulations, and to be here, to be in the same building going into Year 10, it’s hard to imagine, right?”
In fact, when Ohio State rookie Emeka Egbuka topped the Bucs’ receiving list as a rookie with 63 catches for 938 yards and six touchdowns last season, it was the first time since 2013 that a player other than Evans or Godwin led Tampa Bay in receiving. The last player to do it was Vincent Jackson, a year before Evans was drafted in the first round out of Texas A&M.
Egbuka appears to be elite and navigated a difficult rookie season that saw him have to play all four receiver positions. The Bucs also are looking forward to the full return of Jalen McMillan, who missed most of last season after fracturing his neck in the first preseason game at Pittsburgh.
The Bucs also got five touchdowns from Tez Johnson, a seventh-round pick from Oregon. To fill the X receiver position, the Bucs selected Georgia State receiver Ted Hurst in this year’s draft.
“Mek, Tez, J-Mac, Kam (Johnson), Ted making plays. There’s a bunch of opportunities out there, and I’m excited to see what those guys will do,” Godwin said.
But because of his experience and playmaking ability, nobody on that receiving corps may be more important than Godwin. Before his injury in 2024, Godwin was leading the NFL with 50 receptions. He has four 1,000-yard receiving seasons to his credit.
“It’s important that he’s been healthy,” coach Todd Bowles said. “Obviously, his knowledge of the game can help the younger guys, but his route-running looks sharp. He looks smooth running his routes, and he understands the offense very well, and we know the playmaker he is going to be for us.”
As for any increased role as a leader in the receiver room with Evans gone?
“I don’t think it changes much,” Bowles said. ”He goes about his routine the same way."
Godwin will just have to do it without Evans, but that’s OK. His only attitude is one of gratitude for all the injuries he has had to fight through.
“I think it’s part of the game, unfortunately,” Godwin said. “You all know what Mike has meant to this community and this organization. That’s my brother. I wish him the best with his time in San Fran. I’m sure they know what kind of player they’re getting.
“But again, I’m excited for these guys, all the young guys in our room. I’m excited for myself to be able to get back out there on the field. It’s going to be a great year. We’ve got a great group of guys.”