The Chicago Bears have a new General Manager and new head coach which means new decision-making across the board. This is a team that is not in a great spot because of the mess that Ryan Pace left them, but they have a plethora of holes to fill. One of those is wide receiver.
Chris Godwin will be a free agent this offseason. While most assumed that he would return to Tampa Bay, the retirement of Tom Brady adds more questions to that.
If he gets away from Tampa Bay, should the Chicago Bears pursue?
Projected Contract for Chris Godwin
Last year Godwin played on the franchise tag, and it may have hurt his value moving forward. With that in mind, he may be looking for long-term money. Pro Football Focus and Spotrac each came up with a projected contract for Godwin.
Both have him at four years, and the range is from $17.5-$18.6M per year. That would be between $70-$74.6 overall. Is that something the Chicago Bears should do?
Chicago Bears should sign Chris Godwin
We just wrote about Davante Adams, who wants to touch $30M, but will settle for $25M. We are not saying Godwin is better but is the difference about $8M per year? It would be a lot wiser to sign Godwin and add an $8M per year secondary wideout than Adams.
Godwin just tore his ACL but is just 25 years old. The Chicago Bears signed Allen Robinson off an ACL at age 25 and he did just fine for them. Beyond that, Robinson is now 28 years old, so moving from Robinson to Godwin helps the team get younger.
Lastly, Godwin lives in the slot, and that would be a spot that the Bears could use him. Darnell Mooney is not a slot, and the threat of Godwin underneath could open up the rest of the field for Mooney. A big, reliable target who roams over the middle of the field is exactly what Chicago needs.
Chicago Bears should not sign Chris Godwin
The first season that Robinson played with Chicago was up and down. His next two seasons were much better, but new coaches, young quarterback, and coming back from the injury all combined for a slow start to his days in Chicago. The Bears could sign Godwin, but have to assume that he will not be hitting the ground running.
How much does this new regime want to be known for going all-in on an injured player for their first move? Beyond that, while a slot is needed in this offense, there are questions about whether a slot wideout is best for Justin Fields considering the way that he pushes the ball down the field.
The Chicago Bears may be more interested in more speed and while Godwin has size, they want that player to be more of a downfield target than a safety blanket. It makes sense why Tom Brady was attracted to Godwin, but Fields is a different quarterback than that.