Buccaneer Chris Godwin, no longer Number 12, is a giving receiver

Chris Godwin wore number 12 in college at Penn State, and he wore number 12 for his first three years as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. He made the Pro Bowl last season wearing that number.

Giving away one's jersey number is not an easy thing to do; it is akin to giving up a part of one's identity. 
It says so right in the Bucs Media guide for 2019: “Chris Godwin, Number 12.”

When the Bucs landed Tom Brady, the biggest free-agent signing in the history of history, it was inevitable that Chris Godwin would be wearing a new number for 2020. Brady has worn the number 12 in the NFL since Chris Godwin was 4 years old.
             
This is the part of the story when the receiver, Godwin, becomes the giver. He did not ask Tom Brady for $12 million; he simply gifted the number to the greatest player to ever play the quarterback position. 

Godwin admits Brady looks pretty good so far in that jersey.

"You see why he's so highly regarded,” offered Godwin. "There are some passes like, man, that's unbelievable, the amount of touch he has on his ball, his passes."

Chris Godwin is in the last year of his rookie contract. If the Bucs can't reach an agreement on an extension of that contract, the team risks losing one of the game's best young receivers to free agency. 

Godwin will be playing in the number 14 jersey this year. Whether he continues to wear that Buc jersey or plays in another NFL city, he’ll be given a significant amount of money next year. 

He has certainly earned it. And, after all, he paid it forward with a part of himself.