In what was not a surprise, the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers have slapped the franchise tag on 2019 Pro Bowl receiver Chris Godwin to keep him from the free-agent market, but in quite a shock the Detroit Lions will not do the same with their 2019 Pro Bowl wideout Kenny Golladay. Free agency officially opens March 17, and Golladay will certainly be in high demand.
That the Bucs chose to use the franchise tag on Godwin means they could lose two key defensive players in Shaq Barrett, who was franchise tagged last year, and Lavonte David. There has been some speculation, though, that the Bucs might already have a long-term deal worked out with Barrett, who led the NFL in sacks with 19.5 in 2019 but slipped to eight this past season. He did have four in the postseason, however.
Godwin had an injury-plagued 2020 campaign after his breakout 2019 season, but he still led the Bucs with an average of 5.1 catches and 67 receiving yards last year including playoffs. He had a team-high 110 receiving yards in the NFC title game upset at Green Bay. Godwin is the sixth receiver to be slapped with the franchise tag in the NFL since 2015.
It was expected that Golladay would also be tagged, but the Lions are prepared to let him walk – although the team certainly could still work out a long-term deal (pretty rare, though, when a team doesn't tag a guy that he then returns). Golladay caught 65 passes for 1,190 yards and 11 scores in 2019 but slipped to 20 catches for 338 yards and two scores in just five games last season. Golladay's eight touchdowns on contested catches since 2019 are first in the NFL.
Of course, the Lions already traded away franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford as they kick-start a full-blown rebuild under a new front office and coaching staff. The previous regime tried to get a long-term deal done with Golladay but couldn't.
Presuming the Bears franchise tag Allen Robinson by the 4 p.m. ET deadline today, Golladay would be the clear top free-agent WR on the market. Look for NFL odds on his next team soon at SportsLine, but the Giants, Jets, Patriots and Ravens come to mind as immediate fits. New England also has been linked with Vikings free agent tight end Kyle Rudolph.
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