Cameron Brate is set to be a member of the Buccaneers for a long time. The tight end has agreed to a six-year extension, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
Brate, 27 in July, was slated to be a restricted free agent this offseason. It’s a six-year, $41MM agreement for Brate, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports, adding that $18MM will be guaranteed.
The Bucs have decided to devote plenty of resources to stocking their tight end position, considering they used their first-round pick on O.J. Howard last year. But Brate continued to be a key weapon on Tampa Bay’s offense last season despite Howard’s arrival. The former undrafted free agent out of Harvard finished the 2017 campaign with 48 receptions for 591 yards and six scores.
Brate has now caught 14 touchdown passes over the past two years and has amassed more than 1,300 receiving yards in that span. He and Howard combined for 12 touchdown grabs, and the Bucs are keen on making tight end targeting a key component of future offenses. Pair this duo with quarterback Jameis Winston and wideouts Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, and Chris Godwin, and the Buccaneers should have another top-10 passing attack in 2018.
With a $6.8MM-per-year salary, Brate will fall into the middle tier of tight end contracts (right behind Coby Fleener, C.J. Fiedorowicz, and Jermaine Gresham). This will provide a major raise, however, after the former UDFA out of Harvard made just $690K last year.
Details will be the ultimate determining factor whether this deal is good
Good move by Tampa to lock him up. He’s not a top tier TE like Gronk, Olsen, Graham, or Kelce, but he is definitely the next best thing.
Get me Penny and some O linemen thru the draft and Winston has a ton of weapons at his disposal again!