The Jacksonville Jaguars have an ascending star in Brian Thomas Jr. but will need to pair him up with another wide receiver. They'll have several options in free agency and the draft. An NFL voice ultimately thinks that the Jags will reunite new head coach Liam Coen with one of his players from his Tampa Bay Buccaneers stint.
Cory Woodroof of USA TODAY Sports' For The Win! made a prediction for each NFL team. He believes Jacksonville will lock up wide receiver Chris Godwin in free agency, noting that he's previously suited up for Coen and the Jags have enough space to acquire him.
"The Buccaneers may have to bid farewell to Godwin, who could rejoin his 2024 offensive coordinator Liam Coen with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Having Godwin and breakout rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. would be a huge boost for quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and Jacksonville has the money to get this done and pay Godwin what he’s worth."
A third-round pick in 2018, Godwin has spent his whole NFL career with the Bucs, appearing in 111 games with 84 starts. In that span, he's made one Pro Bowl and hauled in 579 yards for 7,266 yards with 39 touchdowns.
Keep in mind that Godmin mostly lines up inside, and that's where Coen would likely use him in Jacksonville. Last year, he played 61.9 percent of his snaps in the slot and has only logged fewer than 60 percent in just one season since 2019.
It's also worth noting that the veteran receiver dislocated his ankle in Week 7 and missed the rest of the year. As of this writing, there have been no updates on his recovery, but there could be a robust demand for his services despite the fact that he suffered a season-ending injury. In fact, Spotrac projects Godwin to sign a three-year deal worth $67 million.
But even if the Jags enter a bidding war with other teams for Godwin's services in free agency, the prospect of reuniting with Coen could potentially give them the edge.
Why it would make sense for the Jaguars to sign Chris Godwin in free agency
The Jacksonville Jaguars have been ready to move on from Christian Kirk since last year. Before the trade deadline, they were engaged in conversations to send him to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Had former Texas A&M Aggie not suffered a collarbone injury, he would have left.
Kirk is now set to have a cap hit of $24 million in 2025, but the team's brass can trade him or release him and create $10 million in space with $13.6 million. The cap relief may be too much to pass up, especially when you take into account that he's suffered season-ending injuries in back-to-back years.
If the Jaguars do move on from Kirk, Chris Godwin would become the ideal replacement. Granted, they have third-year pro Parker Washington in the fold, but head coach Liam Coen may want to bring in some of the guys he's previously worked with. This would in turn come in handy as he would have someone who could help other players get acquainted with the new offensive scheme.
Now, Godwin will be far from the only option the Jacksonville Jaguars will have to bolster their wide receiver corps this offseason, but he's most definitely one that makes sense due to his prior connection with Liam Coen.