Chris Godwin's sensational 2024 campaign was prematurely cut short when he suffered a dislocated ankle in the club's Week Seven loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The injury occurred in the final minute of the game following a 21-yard catch and Godwin was carted off the field for the first time in his NFL tenure (he walked off after tearing his ACL/MCL in 2021).
"That was my first time ever being carted off the field and if you play long enough, you see somebody being carted off and it is a different experience," noted Godwin via Bucs Total Access. "When you are actually the person that is on the cart, it kind of changes for you, so it was bizarre feeling. It was pretty surreal. I was looking around at the crowd and it was very quiet. It is obviously a football game in a stadium, but it felt like you could hear a pin drop and I was just watching everybody come up to me and it was like, 'Damn, this is me.' All I really know is to work so that is the clip you see, [where I said] 'Back to work.' That was really my mentality at that point because there was really nothing I could do about what had happened but what I could control was my attitude and my work ethic from that point forward and focusing on getting back."
To the watching world on Monday Night Football, Godwin displayed immense strength and perspective. In the singular moment when the weight of the injury diagnosis hit and the cart began to leave the field as the disillusion faded along with dashed individual goals for the season, Godwin's immediate response was on the rehabilitation work to return to peak form. At the time of the season-ending injury, Godwin led the NFL in receptions (50), receiving first downs (30) and yards after catch (324), while tying for first in receiving touchdowns (five) and he ranking second in catch percentage (81.1% - min. 25 targets) and third in receiving yards (511). He was on pace for the best year of his career and had accomplished his envisioned YAC-aspiration. With an unparalleled mindset, Godwin has taken the rehabilitation process day-by-day, basking in the "little victories," rather than dwelling on 'What If.'
"The first two weeks were not great but the last two-and-a-half to three have been hopeful, and I have been making a lot of progress," stated Godwin. "I still have not done a ton just because of the nature of the injury – I am not weight-bearing for at least the first six weeks – so that sucks. It impacts getting around and going up and down steps is tough. I get to do a lot more of my rehab now as opposed to my first two weeks when I was mostly elevated and spent time looking at the ceiling…Things are improving, and it is all about life's little victories."
Godwin is beloved in the Bay area not just for his production between the hashes, but for his dedication to the community and to helping underserved pets find homes. In a rare moment that most athletes do not get to experience until retirement, Godwin felt the full extent of the fanbase's outpour of love in recent weeks. The slot weapon will undoubtedly turn the setback into a comeback, much like he did with the serious 2021 knee injury and ensuing surgery.
