The New England Patriots will not be adding wide receiver Chris Godwin this offseason. Godwin is reportedly sticking with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, agreeing to a three-year, $66 million contract on Monday.

The deal was first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport shortly after the NFL negotiating window opened at noon on Monday. The contract includes $44 million in guaranteed money for the 29-year-old Godwin.

Godwin has played his entire NFL career with the Buccaneers, and helped the team win a Super Bowl in 2020 when Tom Brady was Tampa Bay's quarterback. Godwin has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards four times in his career, and had 50 catches for 576 yards and five touchdowns in 2024 before he suffered a dislocated ankle that ended his season.   

He would have been a huge addition to a New England receiving corps that is desperate for talent, and it sounds like the Patriots made a strong run at Godwin, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

"New England was very interested in Chris Godwin. New England was putting on a lot of pressure and making it very difficult for him to go back to Tampa," Schefter reported Monday.  

Godwin reportedly left an extra $20 million on the table to remain in Tampa Bay. That big-money offer came from the Patriots, according to Rapoport.

But Godwin opted to remain with the Buccaneers in the end, which leaves New England looking elsewhere for a playmaker at receiver.

Who could Patriots turn to at receiver?

The Patriots also missed out on DK Metcalf, who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers over the weekend for a second-round pick. Metcalf received a five-year, $150 million extension from the Steelers after the trade.

Veteran receiver Davante Adams also found a new team over the weekend, signing a two-year deal with the L.A. Rams. It doesn't seem like the Patriots were in on either Metcalf or Adams, and had their sights on signing Godwin. 

Chargers free agent Josh Palmer (39 receptions, 584 yards, one touchdown in 2024) and Titans free agent Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (who had a career-high nine touchdowns last season) 

Now that Godwin is off the table, the Patriots will have to shift focus onto the lesser receivers available. Veterans Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, and Darius Slayton are free agents, but will likely want to go to a win-now situation.

Chargers free agent Josh Palmer (39 receptions, 584 yards, one touchdown in 2024) and Titans free agent Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (who had a career-high nine touchdowns last season) remain intriguing options for New England. New head coach Mike Vrabel is plenty familiar with Westbrook-Ikhine, whom he drafted in Tennessee in 2020.

For his career, Westbrook-Ikhine has caught 126 passes for 1,773 yards and 19 touchdowns over 78 games.