Chris Godwin addresses the idea that the Buccaneers are being overlooked

Following a run of three straight playoff appearances and a Super Bowl championship in 2020, expectations are low this upcoming season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

A retirement from star quarterback Tom Brady will do that. But if you were to ask Chris Godwin, it may not be wise to count out Tampa Bay just yet. Appearing on “The Rich Eisen Show” Friday, the 27-year-old wideout addressed whether he thinks the Buccaneers are being slept on.

Chris Godwin expresses optimism for Buccaneers in 2023

“What I know is talk is cheap” Godwin said, via Matt Matera of Pewter Report. “You guys are paid to talk. There’s a lot of people paid to speculate about the season because that’s what you guys do. But how I look at it is, if you guys look back just a year ago, we were predicted to be one of the best teams in the league just based on the talent that we had on our roster. When we got to the end of the season, we saw that its clearly not just the sheer amount of talent that you can accumulate. There’s a reason that we play the games.

“That kind of thing brings me a sense of calmness. Because I know that we have to go out there and put the work in. Regardless of who’s playing. Regardless of who the quarterback is. What plays have been called — if we don’t have our team chemistry on point. If we’re not all working together and pulling the rope in the same direction, it’s going to be for nothing. You can have as much talent as you want. But teams that are playing together, playing as a team, they can come in and beat the most talented team if they’re not on their Ps and Qs.

“I think it’s on us to go out there and actually put the work in. And for us to determine what the season is going to be like based on the kind of work that we put in. And how committed we are. I’m excited about this opportunity regardless of whatever the outside talk is. I’m excited to go to work with these guys and see what we can crack up.”

Will Buccaneers overachieve in 2023?

As Godwin mentioned, the Buccaneers entered last season as Super Bowl favorites, but stumbled throughout much of the season. An 8-9 record won Tampa Bay the NFC South, before going home in the Wild Card Round via the Dallas Cowboys.

With Brady no longer in the fold, the expectation is that former No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield will be the man under center in favor of third-year pro Kyle Trask. Trask sat behind Brady and Blaine Gabbert in each of the past two seasons. Mayfield is coming off a season in which he started 10 games for the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams. He threw for 2,163 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions on 60.0% passing.

Through OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Godwin likes what he’s seen so far with Mayfield.

“I like what I’ve seen so far, man,” Godwin said. “He’s been a really good guy in our locker room so far. And that was the first thing that stood out to me was just the way he carries himself. He’s not like some arrogant guy that’s going to come in and be like, ‘Oh, I’m the guy and all you guys need to kind of like fall in line.’”