7:37pm: It’s a two-year, $2.75MM deal for Barth, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
7:21pm: The Buccaneers are set to sign kicker Connor Barth, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets. Barth was released by Denver earlier today.
Barth, 29, was signed by the Broncos last November to replace Brandon McManus, who was struggling with his accuracy. However, McManus beat Barth out for the kicking job in Denver this season, even though Barth finished the 2014 campaign by nailing 15 of 16 field goals for Denver. Now, Barth will return to the Buccaneers in hopes of becoming their primary kicker.
Barth will vie with Pat Murray for the Bucs’ kicking job in 2015. Murray got his athletic start in Gaelic football, the national sport of Ireland, and transitioned smoothly to American football. Murray edged Barth for the kicking job in training camp last season and he’ll look to do the same in this year’s rematch. He connected on 20 field goals in 24 attempts in 2014 (83.3%).
I knew Barth wouldn’t last long on the free agent market, but I figured he’d have to wait for at least an injury or someone to struggle in the early going of the season to get a new job. Good on Denver for releasing him before next week’s cuts and giving him a chance to find a new job early.