Chris Godwin says he was "really close" to leaving but felt like Tampa was home

Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin decided to stay with the only NFL team he has ever played for and sign a three-year contract in Tampa Bay, but he strongly considered leaving.

Godwin said on NFL Network that he could have made more money by leaving in free agency and was on the verge of waiting until the market opened, but he and his wife ultimately decided that Tampa is their home and they don’t want to start over elsewhere.

“I feel like we were really close,” Godwin said when asked how close he was to leaving. “When it comes to a situation like that you have to really, really consider it. Me and Mariah, we had some really tough conversations. Had some really tough conversations with my agent. Because at the end of the day, we’re trying to figure out what’s going to be best for our family. Not everybody would make that decision and I’m not faulting anybody that would, but at the end of the day I have to go based off my gut, I have to go off my intuition.”

The 29-year-old Godwin was born and raised in Delaware and played his college football at Penn State, but as a 2017 third-round pick of the Buccaneers he has turned Tampa into his home, and now he sees it as the place he wants to stay, perhaps for his entire career.

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