A year after signing offensive lineman Anthony Collins to a five-year, $30MM contract, the Buccaneers are shopping him in search of a taker, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). If the Bucs can’t work out a deal, they’ll likely cut Collins, says Rapoport. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times first reported last week that the club would likely part ways with some of its 2014 signees, including Collins (Twitter link).
Collins’ contract with the Bucs didn’t include any sort of bonuses, and simply includes a $6MM base salary in each of the next four seasons. While that makes it easier for the Bucs to make a move, given the lack of dead money on the deal, there probably isn’t a team out there at the moment willing to pay $6MM annually for a player who was a healthy scratch for the final few weeks of the 2014 season.
Having spent his first six NFL seasons in Cincinnati, Collins never had an extended run as a full-time player before 2014, starting no more than seven games in any season for the Bengals. He was excellent in his 673 offensive snaps in 2013, never recording a negative grade in a game, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). However, he was unable to translate that solid part-time production into an above-average – or even passable – performance as Tampa Bay’s left tackle in 2014.
Per Over the Cap, $3MM of Collins’ $6MM salary for 2015 is currently guaranteed, with the other half set to become guaranteed next Friday. So if the Bucs do plan to cut the 29-year-old, it will almost certainly happen within the next 10 days or so.