Buccaneers' Chris Godwin reacts to retirement of Tom Brady

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin has offered public comments on the "for good" retirement of quarterback Tom Brady. 

"When I saw that he retired, I reached out to him and just expressed my gratitude and how happy I was for him because he's a great teammate, he's a great person and a great friend of mine," Godwin told Lizzie Hyman of People. "And I was really grateful for the time that I got to play with him." 

Godwin and Brady will forever be linked for multiple reasons. As Scott Smith noted for the Buccaneers' website, Godwin offered his No. 12 jersey to Brady after the signal-caller signed with Tampa Bay in March 2020. In their first season playing together, the two earned championship rings thanks to the Super Bowl LV victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. After Brady decided last March he wasn't sticking to his first retirement, he reached out to Godwin via a group chat that included fellow receiver Mike Evans to tell his teammates he was returning for the 2022 campaign. 

"I think I learned a lot about the game of football, but more importantly, just a better understanding of how important relationships are within the game," Godwin continued. "We don't walk away with too many things in this game, but the relationships and the bonds that you form with your teammates, those are things that can last you a lifetime. And I'm really grateful for that experience that I got with him. And then to top it off, obviously we got a Super Bowl win, so that's something that I'll never forget." 

Multiple stories have said Brady was torn only between retirement and spending another season with the Buccaneers before he announced his decision last week. Godwin's comments suggest he isn't expecting to receive any "I'm back" text from Brady before the new league year opens next month.