FOXBOROUGH – Two defining moments helped the Patriots and Drake Maye this offseason.

Heading into this weekend’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it’s a good time to revisit how the Patriots nearly made a mistake this offseason.

When NFL free agency opened in March, one of the Patriots’ top targets was wide receiver Chris Godwin . The veteran receiver turned down more money to stay in Tampa Bay and sign a 3-year, $66 million deal with the Buccaneers.

At the time, Godwin’s agent told him he’d be turning down “generational money” to stay with the team that drafted him. However, the veteran and his wife didn’t want to leave Tampa Bay.

“If I ended up going to New England, it would have been solely based off money because everything else was telling me to stay here,” Godwin tol

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