Trading for Cooper Kupp will end Chris Godwin's time with the Bucs and it's not a move worth making
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) have been adamant that there aren't any attainable receivers outside the building that fit the team's budget, yet oddsmakers continue to list the Bucs as one of the favorites to land Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp. "We’ve looked outside the building, but to get a true No. 1 […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) have been adamant that there aren't any attainable receivers outside the building that fit the team's budget, yet oddsmakers continue to list the Bucs as one of the favorites to land Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.
"We’ve looked outside the building, but to get a true No. 1 in here, you have to make some massive trades and give up quite a bit," Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Monday. "That’s not where we are at this point. We feel comfortable with the guys in the building. They’re probably not of name status of Mike [Evans] or Chris [Godwin], or as accomplished right now, but that doesn’t mean they can’t play…
"… To go out and get a guy to come in here and be a No. 1 and a dominant guy, it’s probably going to cost you half your team. We feel comfortable with the guys we have in here now. We know what their skillsets are and we’re going to go with them right now.”
In a perfect world, sure, trading for Kupp would be a great solution to the current problem facing the Bucs' receiving corps. And, why shouldn't the Bucs do it? I mean, the Kansas City Chiefs just traded for DeAndre Hopkins in a move that easily represents a steal, as the Chiefs only spent a fifth-rounder (that can move up to a fourth) and are paying him around $3 million this season after the Titans paid $2.5 of his remaining base salary.
There's a major difference between Kupp and Hopkins, however: contract structure.
Hopkins is obviously cheap and is in the last year of his deal and Kupp is in neither of those categories. If the Bucs traded for Kupp, they'd owe him the remaining $9,166,667 on his deal for 2024.
But it's the future years that matter most. Including roster bonuses, the Bucs would have to pay Kupp $20 million in 2025 and $19 million in 2026. The key with all of that is the fact those numbers would easily force Godwin, who is in the last year of the three-year deal he signed in 2022, to sign elsewhere during the offseason. That's because a) the Bucs simply aren't going to have three $20+ million per year receivers on the team and b) the money they'd use to pay Kupp would easily be the money they could use to re-sign Godwin.
Godwin's season-ending injury is a serious one, but it's certainly not something that's career-ending, nor even career-altering. He should be able to return to his NFL-leading ways, next year. Why not keep one of your best players, instead of trading for an outsider who while is very good, does not have the cohesion level of the other and has his own recent, extensive injury history? Godwin is also a better fit for the offense, believe it or not, due to his run blocking prowess.
There's a big difference in age, as well. Godwin turns 29 in February, whereas Kupp will be 32 when the 2025 season starts.
It's easy to see why the Bucs don't need to make this move. There is still a future with Godwin, based off everything above and the fact the team currently has more than $28 million in 2025 cap room and that's before the NFL potentially raises the ceiling, next year.
Pursuing the "now", just to put the team in a less-advantageous situation in the future isn't it. Especially when the Bucs defense has been playing the way it has this year, which is another topic all in itself.