NFL Rumors: Buccaneers set to franchise tag Chris Godwin for second-straight season

Chris Godwin didn't have the season he wanted after tearing his ACL last season. Now, it appears his offseason is at risk of going the wrong way as well. According to Dianna Russini, the wide receiver is at real risk of getting the franchise tag by the end of the day today. Both sides are reportedly talking, but time is short.

The deadline is 4:00 pm EST. If Godwin doesn't sign on the dotted line before then, he is expected to get franchise tagged for a second consecutive year. One source said this could "come down to the wire."

Why a franchise tag is the likely outcome for Chris Godwin

Atlanta Falcons v Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Of course, this begs the question of why it took so long for both sides to reach an agreement. They had 365 days to get a deal done, and now, it appears, it is going to take most of the 365th day to get a deal done if one is, indeed, completed. What has taken both sides so long to reach an agreement?

Usually, salaries or the number of years on the contract are the chief culprits that could lead to a deadlock in negotiations. Of course, the added drama of a countdown timer could give either side the push it needs to get the deal done. When picturing the negotiation at this point, if a deal gets done, the real loser in the situation is the worker who needs to sit down and type up the final contract.

NFL contracts, like any contract, are verbose and require a lot of typing and reading through each line carefully. As such, the de facto deadline is likely to be earlier in the day. The Buccaneers will likely need a few hours to put together the contract, get it to Godwin, and have him sign it. Put simply, the assistants in charge of sitting down to put the pieces together are in for a stressful day.

This, of course, raises the question of how the NFL will follow up on the deadline to ensure it was followed. With a situation like this, there is a chance that the Buccaneers can get a verbal agreement, but fail to get the document done on time. As such, it could be tempting to skirt the deadline.

However, it is likely that the NFL requires teams to send them a copy of each new deal to verify that it is completed on time. Even if they usually do not, they likely require as much this time of year to ensure the deadlines are followed. As such, the Buccaneers would be smart to move up the date. Put simply, the team has mere hours to get something done.

Based on the fact it hasn't been done in the last 365 days, the odds seem quite low that the deal will not be completed today and Godwin will be tagged by this time on March 9th.