The Buccaneers have agreed to re-sign safety Chris Conte, according to Gil Arcia of TheBayCave.com (Twitter link). Jenna Laine of Sports Talk 1040 and Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter links) have since confirmed the deal. It’ll be a one-year pact, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
Conte, 27, joined Tampa Bay last offseason, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM that reunited him with former Bears head coach Lovie Smith. Smith, of course, was fired earlier this year and replaced by offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, but Conte still has ties with the Buccaneers staff, as new Tampa secondary coach Jim Hoke coached Conte in Chicago.
In his first season with the Bucs, Conte started 13 games, and played the second-most snaps of any Tampa defensive back. He posted 59 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles, and graded as the No. 32 safety per Pro Football Focus before suffering a knee injury in Week 15 that ultimately landed him on injured reserve.
Conte earned an honorable mention on PFR’s list of the best free agent safeties.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.