Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported yesterday that rival teams are calling the Buccaneers to inquire on the availability of Darrelle Revis, with a number of execs believing a trade is possible. However, Roy Cummings of the Tampa Bay Times is skeptical. Speaking to Cummings, new head coach Lovie Smith said the Bucs will rely heavily on man coverage: “Whether we win or lose is going to be based on how we play man coverage” (Twitter links). That approach suggests that the team is likely to keep the league’s best cover corner on the roster, though we’ll have to wait to see if new GM Jason Licht is in agreement.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- In an article examining the likelihood of the Falcons releasing safety Thomas DeCoud, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution suggests that if the team can’t secure a free agent safety by DeCoud’s guarantee date (March 15), hanging on to him remains possible.
- While multiple reports have suggested the Eagles will likely prioritize re-signing Jeremy Maclin over Riley Cooper, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears that it’s the other way around, and based on what he’s hearing, “it’s not even close.”
- Not many agents and teams were close to reaching free agent or extension agreements at this year’s combine, according to Jack Bechta at the National Football Post. Bechta, who represents multiple free agents himself, speculates that the increased gap in between the combine and the free agent period this year may be contributing to slower-than-usual negotiations.
- With 2014’s projected cap number up to $132MM, or perhaps even higher, ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert has updated his look at the salary cap space each team is expected to have heading into the new league year. As Seifert’s chart shows, the new cap projections mean that the Raiders now have $66MM+ of space.
- Former Packers executive Andrew Brandt explains a few aspects of the NFL’s salary cap in a piece for TheMMQB.com.