FRISCO – Given his resume, it seems rather ridiculous to suggest that Chris Godwin is about to hit free agency as an “under-the-radar” receiver. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout is, after all, an almost perennial 1,000-yard receiver, a Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champ. And his just-expiring contract paid him $20 million per year, so his talent has been acknowledged financially, too. But when NFL media and fans collect their thoughts on who’s who in 2025 free agency, Godwin seems to be a bit of an afterthought.

And maybe that’s something the Dallas Cowboys can take advantage of. First, to why he is “underrated”: Godwin is coming off an unfortunate season in which he dislocated his ankle in Week 7 … one week after having 11 receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns in a 51-27 win over the Ravens. Maybe he was on the way to rolling … but he was done, as he finished the 2024 season with 50 receptions for 576 yards and five touchdowns in seven games. Extend that out over 17 gam

Extend that out over 17 games and those are star-quality numbers. But … to the other issue here. Mike Evans is the No. 1 guy in Tampa Bay. And that creates an impression of Godwin as “the other guy.” As it happens, that is exactly what the Cowboys might be looking for, with CeeDee Lamb as the clear WR1 … and with Dallas needing an upgrade from the collection of mediocre guys in his receivers room. Spotrac puts Godwin’s value at three years and $67.6 million for his next contract; we wonder if the market will truly work that way.

We also wonder what Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht and Godwin will do in any attempt to work together as he enters free agency at age 28. Tampa Bay third-round pick Jalen McMillan was a breakout rookie who performed well after Godwin went down; that may cause the Bucs to move on from Godwin. … and we say that fully aware of ESPN insisting that the Bucs “absolutely want Godwin back and will do everything in their power to make that happen.” That’s lovely. But McMillan makes $1.4 million per year – a real issue when considering what the Bucs might do with Godwin.

Dallas still hasn’t fully established that is plans to pull the trigger on the levers that can free up $100 million in cap room this March, when free agency opens. But a game of Receiver Musical Chairs is about to be played. And Godwin inarguably qualifies a model of consistency and for that reason an in-affordable match at The Star.