The Tampa Bay Buccaneers seem to be running out of options to bring back Super Bowl champion and NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chris Godwin.

A lot of that malaise goes back to Godwin himself, who has seen his value skyrocket over the last week after the Cincinnati Bengals put the franchise tag on free agent wide receiver Tee Higgins for a whopping $26.1 million in 2025, making Godwin the de facto most valued free agent at his position in the 2025 cycle.

For the Buccaneers, the problem is with Godwin’s ever-escalating market value. That number has shot up by almost $30 million to a projected 4-year, $92 million contract — or higher — in recent weeks.

The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia has Godwin as the No. 3 overall NFL free agent in his latest rankings, putting the nine-year veteran in the “Break the Bank” tier of free agents.

Godwin is coming off a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7, when he was second in the NFL in receiving yards behind Bengals superstar Ja’Marr Chase.

“Unless there are long-term concerns about how he’ll recover from the ankle injury, the floor for Godwin’s deal probably looks something like the four-year, $92 million deal (at $23 million per year) that Calvin Ridley signed with the Titans last offseason,” Kapadia wrote.

The floor, meaning the lowest deal Godwin might land. It’s not hard to see that money climb to a 4-year, $100 million if a team is desperate enough to add a WR1 or WR2 option. That could mean a team like the New England Patriots, who have a whopping $127.6 million in salary cap space along with a first year head coach in Mike Vrabel and a promising young quarterback in 2024 NFL draft No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye.