It is always nice when you get to bring back a franchise centerpiece like a Lavonte David or Chris Godwin. What makes them coming back even better is when they are able to bring them back and actually save the team salary cap space.

In the case of Godwin, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports that is exactly what happened for the team.

Auman writes that ". . . Chris Godwin should count less against the Bucs ' 2025 salary cap than he would if he'd left. Would have counted $18.9 million in dead money if he hadn't re-signed, and should be closer to $13 million now, on the roster on his new deal." He points out, though, that the money being saved was dead money, which just moves to the 2026-27 season instead, something the Saints also did this offseason when they brought back Juwan Johnson and Chase Young.

For the Bucs, they did not have a lot of cap space coming into free agency. The money they free up by bringing back Godwin has allowed them to make some other moves in bringing back key role players for the Bucs and signing new free agents.