Chris Godwin did the expected thing by surrendering the No. 12 jersey to new Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammate Tom Brady, and the superstar quarterback has made sure to make his gratitude known to the wide receiver.
Godwin initially expressed some interest in keeping No. 12, which he was worn since high school. Of course, he ultimately relented in understandable deference to a six-time Super Bowl champion and one of the best players in NFL history.
On Tuesday after the announcement that Godwin would relinquish his cherished jersey number to Brady, the Bucs wideout took to social media to share a mockup image of him wearing his new No. 14 and celebrating with a No. 12 jersey-donning Brady.
Some time later, Brady surfaced in the comments section of the above Instagram dispatch from Godwin to give his new teammate a shout-out over the jersey-number gesture.
“Much Appreciated – Very Grateful – Humbled / And ready to get to work!!!” Brady commented on Godwin’s post, adding a pair of “100” emojis.
What’s more, fellow Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans added his own thoughts, leaving an “Already Gs” message in the comments section.
Godwin arguably had little choice but to give up the No. 12 jersey to Brady. That being said, he could have made it a lot more difficult for the incoming quarterback. There have been countless examples across all sports of players paying a steep financial price to procure a coveted jersey number when joining a new team.
It certainly appears Godwin and Brady — not to mention Evans — already are on solid footing when it comes to forging a bond off the field before the three players even have the opportunity to get on one together.
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