Former Penn State wide receiver Chris Godwin could not have punctuated his first NFL season any better.

Godwin hauled in a 39-yard, game-winning touchdown pass in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season finale, a 31-24 victory over the playoff-bound New Orleans Saints. The score was his first as a pro and the cap to a stellar second half of the Bucs' campaign. Over his final eight games, Godwin totaled 26 catches for 442 yards, second on the team after No. 1 wideout Mike Evans. For the year, the one-time Nittany Lion amassed 34 receptions for 525 yards and the touchdown.

That ending, in concert with his offseason work, may be enough for Godwin to begin his second season as a starter, per Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Todd Monken.

"I see him as a starter," Monken told the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday. "That's how I see it. He's earned the right to be a starter. Whether it works out that way or not, I don't know. But he's earned the right, finished the year that way."

Provided Evans maintains his top spot atop the depth chart, Godwin will be battling with DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries for the two remaining first-team positions. Jackson caught 50 balls on 91 targets, a far less efficient rate than those Humphries and Godwin produced. With those receptions, Jackson totaled 668 yards and three touchdowns.

Humphries, meanwhile, started three games, made 61 catches for 631 yards and one score. He also lost a fumble.

Buccaneers receivers coach Skyler Fulton detailed to the Times how Godwin's continued to make strides after the season.

"Chris does everything the way you're supposed to do it," Fulton said. "He takes care of his body, he works hard, knows what he's supposed to do, and he does it the way we coach him to do it. Chris already carries himself like a vet, but there is no substitute for experience."

Godwin arrived in Tampa Bay as a third-round draft pick two Aprils ago. Prior to being selected, he left Penn State as the eighth player in program history to record more than 2,000 career receiving yards.

He sits in the top 10 for receptions and the top 5 for receiving yards. Godwin also owns the Nittany Lion single-game records for receiving yards and receptions in a bowl game and is tied for the most touchdowns with two. All were set in Penn State's 2017 Rose Bow Game defeat to USC.

Upon declaring for the draft in January 2017, Godwin said in a release: "It's been an honor and a blessing to have the opportunity to be a part of the Penn State football family. I give all the glory to God. I don't know if words can fully express my gratitude to everyone that played a role in me getting to this point."

Penn State opens its 2018 campaign against Appalachian State on Sept. 1. Kickoff from Beaver Stadium is TBD.

Tampa Bay kicks off its 2018 season at New Orleans on Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. The Bucs' preseason begins at Miami on Aug. 9 at 7 p.m.