By – Bucs Report

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are committed to securing Chris Godwin’s future with the team, despite the receiver’s impending free agency. Godwin’s season was cut short due to a severe ankle injury sustained during a game against the Baltimore Ravens. This development puts the franchise in a challenging position, as they must weigh the cost of retaining a talented receiver who still has value, but is recovering from injury.

Throughout the NFL Scouting Combine, the Buccaneers have consistently expressed their desire to re-sign Chris Godwin. However, with the new league year and free agency looming, time is of the essence. The Bucs must act quickly to reach an agreement with Godwin, or risk losing him to other interested teams.

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According to CBS Sports’ Jared Dubin, the Buccaneers are aiming to finalize a deal with Chris Godwin before he officially becomes a free agent, preventing other teams from entering the bidding.

“The Buccaneers got their quarterback and No. 1 receiver re-signed last offseason, and now want to make sure their No. 2 wideout is locked in as well,” Dubin continued. “Godwin is coming off a dislocated ankle suffered late last season, but according to ESPN, Tampa is hoping to get a deal done with the slot receiver before he hits the open market.”

If the Buccaneers fail to make a competitive offer, it’s likely that another team will step in and present Chris Godwin with a more enticing proposal, one that he may find too good to pass up.

According to Spotrac, Chris Godwin’s market value is estimated at $22.2 million per year. However, given his recent injury, it’s unlikely the Buccaneers will be willing to meet that price point, which may create a gap in contract negotiations. Spotrac projects a three-year, $67.5 million contract for Chris Godwin, and it’s possible that another team may be willing to offer the 27-year-old receiver a similar or even more lucrative deal.

The Buccaneers have publicly expressed their desire to retain Chris Godwin. With time running out before free agency begins, it’s time for the team to put their words into action and demonstrate their commitment to keeping him.

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward stood one podium apart Friday, each making his case to be the first quarterback selected in this year’s NFL draft at the same moment.

They couldn’t have taken more different approaches.

Sanders arrived in a sparkly necklace and spoke with the same brash confidence that defined the career of his longtime coach and Hall of Fame father, Deion Sanders. Ward delivered a blue-collar message, describing his six-year journey from overlooked Texas prep player to Heisman Trophy finalist and now, perhaps, to being the first pick in April.

And yet, these two college stars managed to cast aside the playful, public verbal barbs to show a mutual respect on one of the most crucial stages in football.

“We’ll both end up being one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” Ward said. “We play around, we joke around with it (who will be first), but it really doesn’t mean nothing. At the end of the day, you’ve got to show you can improve each and every Sunday. You can’t just do it one year. You’ve got to do it each and every time you step on the field.”

League scouts will have to wait until the players’ college pro days to get an actual glimpse of this year’s top two quarterbacks because Ward and Sanders reiterated they would not work out Saturday with the quarterbacks, running backs and receivers in Indianapolis.

Instead, these two added their names to a long list of top prospects opting to wait to show their stuff on familiar turf while throwing to college teammates. The list includes Caleb Williams, Bryce Young and Joe Burrow, all quarterbacks who were chosen No. 1 overall.

There’s no telling yet if Ward or Sanders will be next, but each has plenty of tape for scouts to pore through since both started 50 or more games while playing at multiple colleges.

Sanders and his father used their flashy style to help revive programs at Jackson State in Mississippi before repeating the feat at Colorado. Ward threw an NCAA record 158 TD passes as he ascended from FCS star at Incarnate Word in Texas to became Washington State’s starter before nearly leading Miami to the CFP playoffs.

This week, though, Sanders and Ward seem virtually inseparable as they stroll through the Indianapolis Convention Center hallways, part of the same quarterback group as they ponder their futures and how to sell themselves to coaches and general managers.

“If you ain’t trying to change the franchise then don’t get me,” Sanders said. “You should know history repeats itself over and over and over, and I’ve done it over and over and over, so there should be no question why an NFL franchise should pick me.”

While there’s little debate over their productivity or penchant for winning, there are plenty of questions to answer.

At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Sanders possesses good size, a solid arm, mobility in the pocket and the kind of strong personality needed from a locker room leader. Still, he must show the throws he made into tight windows in college will not become interceptions in the NFL and he needs to eliminate his propensity for taking sacks. Others wonder if his father’s influence might become a problem.

Sanders shrugged off any such doubts.

“You think I’m worried about what critics say or what people got to say? You know who my dad is? They hated on him, too,” Shedeur Sanders said. “So it’s almost normal. Without people hating, it’s not normal for us. We like the adversity. We like everything that comes with the name. That’s why we are who we are.”

Ward is slightly bigger at 6-2, 223 pounds, has a stronger arm, a quicker release and throws with more velocity. But he can struggle with accuracy and his ability to read coverages.

And while he’s more reserved as a public speaker than Sanders, those who have played with Ward insist he has a different personality in the locker room.

“Everybody sees what he does on the field, his confidence and everything, but the biggest thing I would say is the type of leader he is,” former Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo said Thursday. “He’s not afraid to hold people accountable. He wants to win, and he holds the team to a certain standard and he doesn’t care how he’s going to get his point across.

But with no clear-cut favorite entering or leaving combine week, the debate over who’s better will only continue to rage as they hold campus workouts and fly around the country for team interviews.

They just believe one thing: Both will be successful, wherever they land.

“I just think the work me and him are willing to put in, the relationship we have to constantly compete each and every day to better our craft and ourselves,” Ward said, “I just think it’s going to end up paying off for us in the long run.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

 The Bulls learned the course they will chart in the 2025 South Florida Football Season presented by Tampa General Hospital, its third under Head Coach Alex Golesh, on Friday when the American Athletic Conference released the 2025 schedules for member schools.

The Bulls are slated to play four weeknights on the year in showcase games, including three in Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff times and television arrangements will be announced at a later date.

The Bulls already knew they would face possibly the toughest non-conference schedule in program history with three games slated against teams in The Athletics’ “Way to Early Top 25”, including No. 11 Florida, No. 15 Miami and No. 21 Boise State. The Bulls have never faced three Associated Press Poll-ranked teams in the non-conference slate. USF has only faced two twice, doing so last year in taking on No. 4 Alabama and No. 8 Miami and in 2022. If preseason rankings hold, it could mark the sixth straight season the Bulls have faced at least one ranked opponent in the non-conference slate and 17 of the last 20.

The gauntlet will get off to a rousing start. It was announced that the Bulls will face Boise State on Thurs., Aug. 28, in Raymond James Stadium in a showcase game to kick off Week 1. It will be the first-ever meeting with the Broncos, who went 12-2 last year, won the Mountain West Championship, and earned a spot in the first 12-team College Football Playoff.

The Bulls’ other non-conference games were previously announced. USF will travel to play at Florida on Sat., Sept. 6, and at Miami on Sat., Sept. 13, before returning to Tampa to face South Carolina State on Sat., Sept. 20, in Raymond James Stadium.

The Bulls get the first of two open weeks on the season before beginning American Athletic Conference play with back-to-back Friday night, showcase games. USF will open play in The American vs. Charlotte on Fri., Oct. 3 in Raymond James Stadium. The Bulls downed the 49ers 59-24 last year in Charlotte to move to 2-0 in the series.

USF’s first conference road game will be another Friday night kick at North Texas on Fri., Oct. 10. It will be the first meeting between the programs since 2002, with USF owning a 2-0 series lead.

The Bulls will return to Raymond James Stadium for a Homecoming clash vs. FAU on Sat., Oct. 18. The Bulls won 44-21 in Boca Raton, Fla. last year to take a 4-2 series lead.

USF will play at Memphis on Sat. Oct. 25 as the Bulls look to end a four-game losing skid to the Tigers who claimed a 21-3 victory in Orlando last year in a game moved due to Hurricane Milton. Memphis leads the series 9-4.

The Bulls will get their second open week before returning to Tampa to face UTSA on Thurs., Nov. 6 in their third weeknight, showcase game in Raymond James Stadium of the year. The Roadrunners won the only previous meeting in San Antonio, Texas in 2023, 49-21.

USF will close the conference slate with two road games and one home match-up. The Bulls travel to Annapolis, Md. to take on Navy on Sat., Nov. 15, and Birmingham, Ala. to face UAB on Sat., Nov. 22. USF fell to Navy, 28-7, and downed UAB, 35-25, both in Raymond James Stadium last year. Navy leads the series 3-2, while the UAB series is tied 2-2.

The Bulls complete the regular season with a Senior Day home date vs. Rice on Sat., Nov. 29. The Bulls fell to the Owls, 35-28, last year in Houston tying the series at 1-1.

Each of the 14 teams in The American will play eight conference games in 2025. The top two teams in the final single-division regular-season standings will meet in the American Athletic Conference Football Championship, which will be played either Fri., Dec. 5, or Sat., Dec. 6.

Up Next:

The Bulls open spring practice on March 25 with the annual USF Pro Day following on March 26. The USF Spring Game is set for April 26 at Corbett Stadium on the USF campus.

Tickets:

Deposits for new 2025 USF football season tickets are being accepted now and may be placed by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.

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