If you've paid attention to the recent reports pertaining to the Buccaneers and their potential decision to tag Chris Godwin, then Tuesday's official report of them doing so won't come as a surprise.

But it's a pretty surprising decision if you pay close attention to the franchise.

For starters, the Buccaneers tagged Godwin last year. The premise then was to try and work something out. Preferably before the July deadline. Or, by now, at worst.

That obviously didn't happen. And obviously, Tampa Bay had a full year -if not longer- to figure this out. Yet, Jason Licht and Co. couldn't work anything out.

Now, we don't know if it's a matter of whether or not the Bucs aren't giving Godwin what he wants or because Godwin is asking for too much. Well, we don't know that just yet, at least.

We can only go off of what we know until those details come out.

So, what we do know is this: The Buccaneers voluntarily -and frequently- speak on how much Godwin means to the team and how excellent he is as a player.

As a matter of fact, let's play some of the Bucs Greatest Hits when it comes to Godwin:

• "He’s been a special player, as well, for us," Licht recently said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "It’s hard to imagine a Buccaneers’ offense without Chris Godwin."
• “Yeah, I’ve only had two before – Hines Ward and Larry Fitzgerald – so I don’t really
  want to lose Chris," Bruce Arians said at the combine when asked about how rare a player like Godwin is. "They’re hard, hard to find."
• "I think he [Cooper Kupp] and Chris Godwin, to me, are the best all-around receivers in the league because they block, they do everything – inside, outside," Arians said in January. "They’re very comparable, and you know how I think about Chris."
• "You think there’s a lot of Chris [Godwin’s] and ‘ABs’ (Antonio Brown’s) out there? There’s not a lot of them out there on the planet," Byron Leftwich said in January.
• "There's only one Chris," Arians said during last year's training camp.
• "We think we’ve got the best [receiver] tandem in the NFL, or arguably the best tandem in the NFL, and there are not a lot of teams that can say that," Licht said in April 2020.

See what I mean? Those comments came in less than a year.

Don't worry, I'm well aware most of the quotes are from coaches and coaches don't have final say when it comes to paying players, roster construction, etc., for the most part. But coaches can and do vouch for these players to their respective GMs. Arians' desire -along with Licht's own beliefs and words- should be enough to work a long-term deal for Godwin.

It's not like Arians doesn't have a voice in the matter. So why is there another franchise tag in place?

You don't talk about how "rare" and "special" players are and then miss out on finding a way to work out a long-term deal. Tagging Godwin for two straight years -if he stays tagged- likely means he's gone for good in 2023 at the age of 27. Why would he give the Bucs anything more?

And then there's the whole cap situation. The Buccaneers were in far better shape last year than they are this year, but tagging Godwin last year was still a mistake. The cap dropped all the way down to $182.5 million and the Bucs needed money. Instead of working an LTD with a low upfront cap hit, they took nearly $16 million straight out of their pockets.

Most of that money could've been used for other contracts or it simply could've rolled over into this year if the Bucs didn't spend it. There were plenty of other ways to spend that money. Just like there are plenty of other ways to spend the $19.2 million the Bucs are in line to fork out this year.

Overall, the Buccaneers' inability to reach a long-term deal -regardless if he gets one later- with Godwin is not only a failure, but it's a mistake. It's a repeat of the same mistake the Bucs made last year when they tagged him.

And then everything gets wrapped into a nice, neat package when you throw in the fact that the Bucs could've used the tag on Carlton Davis III. Now, he'll test the market and the cap-strapped Bucs will be forced into a bidding war. They could very well lose him.

If the Bucs worked out a deal with Godwin, they could've tagged Davis and avoided the upcoming bidding war.

Granted, there's still a chance for a long-term deal. The Bucs have until July 15 to work things out. But it's a shame things got this far and that won't change no matter what happens next.

Featured image via-Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports