Chris Godwin just watched his Tampa Bay Buccaneers get eliminated from the playoffs on a doinked field goal, though his spirits are likely still high given his most recent announcement.
Per Godwin’s Instagram account, he and his wife Mariah officially welcomed their first child, Ace Kahlo Godwin, to the world on Jan. 2, 2025.
CONGRATS: Bucs star receiver Chris Godwin and his wife Mariah announce the birth of their baby boy, Ace Kahlo Godwin.
👏❤️
Godwin has had an extremely rough year, so seeing him have such a bright start to 2025 is awesome. pic.twitter.com/Ijll12KRnp
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 13, 2025
Godwin wasn’t on the field for the Buccaneers’ home playoff loss, as he’s been out with an ankle injury since a Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The wide receiver joins teammates Baker Mayfield, Tristan Wirfs, and Cade Otton, among others, as Tampa Bay players who recently welcomed their first child.
Chris Godwin Headed for Free Agency in 2025
The Buccaneers’ loss to the Washington Commanders unceremoniously ended Godwin’s tenure with the team (for now), as the three-year, $60 million contract he signed before the 2022 season is set to expire.
Before suffering a dislocated ankle, Godwin was on pace for the best campaign of his NFL career, catching 50 passes for 576 yards and five touchdowns through seven games. Godwin is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
In 2023, Godwin played a full season slate for the first time since 2018, racking up 83 receptions for 1,024 yards and two touchdowns. Before 2024, Godwin had accrued at least 80 receptions and 1,000 receiving yards in four out of five seasons from 2019-23. Seeing as he’ll turn 29 in Feb. 2025, he should have no problem finding plenty of suitors in free agency, should he make it there.
Godwin and his wife Mariah have been married since 2021. They are high school sweethearts, meeting at Middletown High School in Delaware. They attended Penn State University together, where Chris starred as a wide receiver on the football team and Mariah studied sports nutrition and exercise science.
They co-founded the Team Godwin Foundation together, which spreads awareness about dog adoption and spaying and neutering pets.
“Mariah began volunteering at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in early 2018 after Chris got drafted and they moved to Tampa, and she immediately found her passion for animal rescue. She began educating herself on the workings and needs of the animal rescue community, and began sharing that information with Chris,” the Foundation’s official website reads.
“Mariah hopes to continue to educate people about owning dogs, the importance of spaying and neutering, and the real meaning and goals of the Adopt Don’t Shop movement. She wants to end the stigma around animal shelters and end breed discrimination.
“Mariah is passionate about making a positive impact in absolutely any way that she can. She believes no act of good is too small.”
As he continues to rehab from his ankle injury and prepares for free agency, Godwin and his wife will have their hands full raising their newborn son this offseason.