Commanders lose potential WR target to puzzling franchise tag decision

Death, taxes and the Washington Commanders being in need of wide receiver reinforcements. That’s how the saying goes, right?

If not, that should be the new catch phrase, because no matter how hard it tries Washington can’t seem to get the position right.

While the front office struck gold by finding Terry McLaurin in the third round back in 2019, it has since failed miserably at equipping the Ohio State product with a capable sidekick in the two years since.

In fact, in McLaurin’s three seasons in the NFL, a running back has finished as Washington’s second-leading receiver in terms of receptions: Chris Thompson in 2019 and JD McKissic in both 2020 and 2021.

Taking that into account, it shouldn’t come as a surprise The Athletic’s Ben Standig reported the Commanders could make a splash at WR this offseason. And with free agency knocking on the door, the market is starting to reveal itself.

Once viewed as a stacked class, some of the biggest names have been taken off the board this week. The latest was Buccaneers star Chris Godwin, who was hit with the franchise tag ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline.

Chris Godwin will not be signing with the Commanders this offseason.

This is a tough pill to swallow for Washington, as Godwin would’ve formed an elite partnership with McLaurin. The wound should heal pretty quickly, though, given it was never likely the Buccaneers would let him go.

The great part about Godwin is that he’s equally lethal lining up on the perimeter or in the slot. Last season, the former third-rounder was positioned in the slot on 61.1% of his routes, compared to a 34.6% share on the outside.

Despite competing for targets with Mike Evans and Antonio Brown for most of his career, Godwin has topped 85 catches and 1,000 yards on two separate occasions. At just 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds, the Penn State product is deadly in the red zone, hauling in 28 touchdowns over the last four seasons.

Coming off a torn ACL, there was speculation as to whether the Buccaneers would extend Godwin or let him test the market. The franchise tag was always deemed a possibility, but more of a last resort or contingency plan than a priority.

That’s what makes this decision so befuddling.

As a recipient of the franchise tag — assuming a long-term deal isn’t agreed upon before the 4 p.m. deadline — for the second straight offseason, Godwin’s owed a 20% raise over last year’s rate. Given he made $15.98 million last year, this year’s tag will pay him $19 million in fully guaranteed money.

For a team right up against the cap, Tampa Bay would’ve been better off signing Godwin to a multiyear extension worth less annually … or simply letting him test the open market with the intention of matching or beating any offer.

Instead, the Bucs waited until Monday to initiate negotiations with Godwin’s camp when they were fully aware of the tag deadline. They should’ve used the last two weeks at the bare minimum to hash out an agreement.

For context, Curtis Samuel’s three-year $34.5 million contract with Washington includes guarantees of $23 million, just $4 million more than what Godwin will make in 2022 alone if he winds up playing on the franchise tag.

Additionally, the current deals for Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs all include less than $19 million in guarantees. For a receiver coming off a torn ACL who may need to be eased in next season, this is a big risk by the Bucs.

While it stings Washington won’t get the chance to sign Godwin, fans can at least take solace in the fact Tampa made a mess of the situation. Luckily for the Commanders, there’s still a handful of WRs worth getting excited about.