Now that the NFL Combine is behind us, teams around the league are starting to prep for another kind of frenzy. The new league year will begin next week and with it the chaos of free agency will arrive.

When that happens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin is expected to be among the players who will be bombarded with offers from other teams, something fans hope is a situation that can be avoided. Last year the Bucs were in danger of losing Mike Evans, but just days after saying he would be testing the market he agreed to a deal to remain in Tampa Bay for at least the next two seasons.

That’s what Bucs fans are hoping will happen with Godwin, although his situation might be a little trickier than Evans’. Despite a season-ending injury he suffered back in October, Godwin was on pace to be a top receiver in the league and that’s the status he hits the market with. Tee Higgins getting franchise-tagged means the line starts with Godwin as far as who teams will be looking at as a top target which complicates Tampa Bay’s pursuit of bringing him back.

If the Bucs do re-sign Godwin, it will be without the safety net of using the franchise tag.

Greg Auman and other reporters close to the Buccaneers confirmed that the team will not be using the franchise tag on Godwin ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise but it does move us into the next phase of the situation, one that is going to get more and more intense over the next week.

Why aren’t the Buccaneers using the franchise tag on Chris Godwin?

It all comes down to money. Tampa Bay has already tagged Godwin twice, which means doing it a third time could trigger some serious financial blowback. Rather than the standard rate a player would get paid on a normal tag, the Bucs tagging Godwin a third time would result in him getting the higher of 144 percent of the previous salary (which was a 44 percent raise) or the franchise tag number for the highest position.

For the record, that position is quarterback and the raise would be around $40 million for one season. That’s what is preventing this from being a situation where the Bucs could tag Godwin to buy time, because he’d have to turn down more AAV than he’d make on his new contract which doesn’t make sense from his side.

Will Chris Godwin leave the Buccaneers in free agency?

This is the big question, but it seems to be far less stressful internally than it seems from the outside. All of the noise around Godwin’s situation suggests he’ll be leaving in free agency to sign a massive new contract with the Jaguars, Raiders, or some other team.

All signs interally still point to Godwin returning to Tampa Bay on a deal that pays him fairly but doesn’t break the bank.

Rick Stroud pointed out how Godwin’s injury is going to come up more and more the closer we get to free agency. It’s something that the Bucs are monitoring but is typically the thing teams use to try and wiggle out of paying top dollar for a free agent. Tampa Bay has the inside track here as they know Godwin’s situation the best and have worked with him since October on his rehab, which could go a long way in helping a deal get done.

So too could the fact that both Godwin and the Bucs want to keep this relationship going. Everything coming out of Tampa Bay has been positive in regards to wanting Godwin back and the feeling has been reciprocated when he’s been asked about it. That’s what gives this a similar vibe to how things played out with Evans last year, and is giving everyone confidence a deal gets done.