Five-time Pro Bowl receiver is the perfect Chris Godwin replacement that can help Bucs remain in playoff race
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) didn't just lose a football game to the Baltimore Ravens (5-2) on Monday Night Football – the team lost several key players and it's very likely that one of them is done for the rest of the year.The Bucs saw star receiver Mike Evans and rookie cornerback Tykee Smith leave […]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-3) didn't just lose a football game to the Baltimore Ravens (5-2) on Monday Night Football – the team lost several key players and it's very likely that one of them is done for the rest of the year.
The Bucs saw star receiver Mike Evans and rookie cornerback Tykee Smith leave the game in the first half with a hamstring injury and a concussion, respectively. Those two injuries were hard enough to overcome, but the crushing blow was when the Bucs' other star receiver, Chris Godwin, suffered a gruesome injury with under a minute left in the game.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told reporters after the game that Godwin's injury is likely a dislocated ankle. If that's the case, then Godwin is probably going to be out for the year. Either way, he's going to miss a very long period of time, leaving the Bucs without one of their best players on the entire team.
It remains to be seen what comes of Evans' hamstring injury, but it won't be a surprise if he misses multiple games. Hamstrings, as with most soft tissues injuries, are very finicky and it's always tough to put a solid timeline on them. Evans' hammy appears to be of the more serious nature, but that's speculation. Both players are expected to undergo testing on Tuesday in order to get an official evaluation on their injuries.
The Bucs offense runs through Evans and Godwin. With both players out, they're going to need to bring someone in from the outside. Sure, there are other guys on the roster, but they're unproven outside Sterling Shepard, who's 31-years old and on the back end of his career.
"We'll definitely look and see what's out there," Bowles told reporters when asked if he and Bucs GM Jason Licht will try to find a receiver before the trade deadline.
Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins makes a lot of sense as a trade target for the Bucs
The Titans are having an abysmal season and their recent loss to the Bills featured an odd development regarding Hopkins and his involvement – or lack thereof – in the fourth quarter.
The five-time Pro Bowler looked "detached" from the Titans offense after he basically sat out the entire fourth quarter and finished the game with just one reception for -2 yards on one target.
What exactly was Hopkins being told? To stand on the sideline? If so, why? Titans head coach Brian Callahan told reporters after the game that he was unsure as to whether or not Hopkins got hurt, so it doesn't seem like he would've told Hopkins to sit out because of the soreness.
"I've got to check with Todd (Titans Director of Sports Medicine) to see if there's anything to that," Callahan said. "I didn't get an update on that. But I'm not sure."
At this point, the Bucs need to reach and see what it would take to bring Hopkins to Tampa Bay. He can play both inside and out, so when/if Evans does return, it's not like there's going to be some kind of issue getting both guys the ball. Hopkins still has some gas left in the tank and with all due respect, he's certainly upgrade over the rest of the receivers on the Bucs' roster.
Tampa Bay wouldn't have to give much away to acquire Hopkins, nor would they have to pay him a ton of money in 2024. At most, it would probably take a Day 3 pick, or maybe a third-rounder, to get him in a trade. The Bucs are without a sixth-rounder and have just six draft picks in 2025, but again, they wouldn't have to part ways with a premium selection and they'd get an immediate return on their investment through a proven player, whereas drafting a player in Rounds 3-7 would be a dice roll, more than anything.
And, obviously, Hopkins would help the Bucs now, which is key when considering their current ninth place positioning in the NFC standings.
In terms of salary, the Buccaneers would pay the remaining $5,053,889 of his $8,270,000 base salary, along with the remaining $660k of his $1,020,000 per-game bonus. In all, from a monetary standpoint, the Bucs would pay Hopkins around $5,713,889 for his services in 2024. Tampa Bay currently has a little more than $10.54 million in cap space.
It's a move that simply makes too much sense, at this point, and it would help the Bucs stay in the playoff race throughout the rest of the year.
DeAndre Hopkins comments on awkwardly watching the Titans lose to Bills from the sideline
The DeAndre Hopkin situation officially smells funny.
