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Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Contract Details: David, Eluemunor, Agholor, Howard

March 29th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are a few contract details on deals recently reached around the league:

  • Lavonte David, LB (Buccaneers): One year, $4.5MM. The deal, according to Greg Auman of FOX Sports, is quite a complicated one. It has guaranteed money at $3.34MM, consisting of David’s signing bonus. The remainder of the contract value is a veteran league minimum salary of $1.17MM. The signing bonus is spread out over four void years that help dissipate his cap hit.
  • Nelson Agholor, WR (Ravens): One year, $3.25MM. The contract, according to Wilson, is fully guaranteed with a $2.09MM signing bonus adding to the veteran league minimum base salary of $1.17MM. There is $3MM of incentives based on playing time, playoffs, catches, yards, and touchdowns. The Ravens somewhat uncharacteristically gave Agholor a high enough value to qualify him as a seventh-round valued compensatory free agent signing. The move wipes out a sixth-round compensatory pick that Baltimore would’ve received in 2024 for the departure of tight end Josh Oliver. The team also continues to go outside their comfort zone by once again creating a contract with void years, something they had never done prior to this offseason. Agholor’s deal has four void years to spread his cap hit out over time.
  • Jermaine Eluemunor, T (Raiders): One year, $3MM. The new contract, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, has a guaranteed amount of $2.29MM, which includes a signing bonus of $491,000 and most of Eluemunor’s base salary. The deal includes a $142,000 workout bonus and a per game active roster bonus of $30,000 for a potential season total of $510,000.
  • O.J. Howard, TE (Raiders): One year, $1.23MM. The deal, according to Wilson, includes a guaranteed amount of $451,250, consisting of a $76,250 signing bonus and $375,000 of his base salary (worth a total of $1.08MM).

Buccaneers To Sign K Chase McLaughlin

March 28th, 2023 at 4:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Days after cutting Ryan Succop, the Buccaneers have settled on a new kicker. They are signing Chase McLaughlin, according to JoeBucsFan.com. It is a one-year agreement.

McLaughlin will head to Tampa after being replaced in Indianapolis. The Colts, who used McLaughlin as their Adam Vinatieri injury replacement in 2019 and as Rodrigo Blankenship‘s fill-in last season, signed Matt Gay to the league’s second-most lucrative kicker deal early in free agency.

The Bucs released Succop last week, doing so despite having already cleared the cap room necessary to retain Jamel Dean and Lavonte David. The Succop release saved the team $3.75MM, and McLaughlin will be positioned to replace him. Succop, however, represented the only kicking constant over the past decade. The team will see if McLaughlin can effectively replace the veteran.

McLaughlin, 27 in April, has been a primary kicking option for two teams — the Browns and Colts — since 2021. He struggled in Cleveland, making only 71% of his field goal tries, and the Browns then drafted Cade York last year. The Colts brought McLaughlin in after Blankenship played the lead role in a Week 1 tie with the Texans. McLaughlin fared better in 2022, making 83% of his field goal tries — including 9 of the 12 attempts from beyond 50 yards. McLaughlin also made 9 of 11 tries from 40-49 yards, representing a significant improvement on his 2021 work (4-for-10).

Although McLaughlin only began his run as an NFL kicker in 2019, he is already on team No. 7. He will come cheaper than Succop, whom the Bucs had signed to a three-year, $12MM extension shortly after Super Bowl LV.

Buccaneers Release K Ryan Succop

March 23rd, 2023 at 5:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Buccaneers have been forced to make a number of cost-cutting moves this offseason, and another one took place on Thursday. Per a team announcement, kicker Ryan Succop has been released.

The move comes as little surprise given Succop’s contractual situation. No guaranteed money remained on the final season of his deal, a three-year, $12MM pact which proved to be a worthwhile investment for Tampa Bay. Releasing Succop will result in $3.75MM in cap savings – a figure which, while relatively small, is still highly significant given the team’s financial constraints – while incurring a dead money charge of $750K.

The 36-year-old joined the Buccaneers in 2020 after five seasons with the Chiefs and six with the Titans. He won out an internal competition with Matt Gay to become the team’s full-time kicker that season, and played a key role in their regular season and playoff success. Succop made 28 of 31 field goals during the year, eclipsing the 90% accuracy mark for the second time in his career. He then missed only one kick during the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl run.

The South Carolina product followed that up with another consistent performance, and led the league in extra points made and attempted. In 2022, however, his overall accuracy dropped slightly, in large part due to his struggles from long range. Succop made 81.6% of his field goals, but went only 2-for-7 from beyond 50 yards. Despite those struggles, he holds the record for best field goal percentage (84.8%) in franchise history.

That should allow Succop to find a new home somewhat quickly, especially on a team whose offense won’t require many long-range attempts. The Buccaneers have Jake Verity on their roster after signing him to a reserve/futures contract, and he will head into training camp with at least a chance to win the full-time job for the 2023 season.

DT Greg Gaines Signing With Buccaneers

March 23rd, 2023 at 11:04am CST by Ely Allen

MARCH 23: Gaines agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth $3.5MM, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The veteran defensive tackle’s contract can max out at $4MM.

MARCH 18: The Buccaneers have found a player that they can attempt to use to replace the lost production of Rakeem Nunez-Roches, who signed with the Giants earlier this week. According to Tom Pelissero, Tampa Bay has agreed to terms with former Rams defensive tackle Greg Gaines.

A former 2019 fourth-round pick out of Washington, Gaines spent his first two years in Los Angeles as a reserve behind Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, and Sebastian Joseph-Day. When Brockers was traded to the Lions, that opened the door for Gaines to step up.

Gaines spent the next two years as a starter next to Donald. Gaines was impressive in increased time. Over his two years as a starter, Gaines totaled 8.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, and 19 quarterback hits.

In addition to Nunez-Roches, the Buccaneers are set to lose Deadrin Senat this offseason, as well. They return Vita Vea and Logan Hall as their top options on the interior defensive line. Adding Gaines provides them with a new starter next to Vea, allowing Hall, last year’s second-round pick, to continue to develop as a rotation piece.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/23

March 18th, 2023 at 9:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Armstrong saw by far the largest workload of his career in 2022, his first season with the Falcons. Starting four of the nine games he appeared in, he logged a 57% snap share on defense. The 27-year-old had offers from other teams, per his agent (on Twitter), but he will instead remain in Atlanta on a one-year contract (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2).

Moore is one of several core special teamers earning new deals in recent days. His new Lions pact is two years in length, and has a base value of $4.5MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Moore will earn $3MM guaranteed, and could add a further $1.25MM in incentives.

RB Chase Edmonds To Join Buccaneers

March 16th, 2023 at 10:03am CST by Sam Robinson

The running back market continues to move, and a recently released ball-carrier now has a new home. Chase Edmonds is heading back to Florida, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com noting the Buccaneers are signing him.

Edmonds, whom the Broncos cut months after acquiring him from the Dolphins, agreed to terms on a one-year Bucs deal Thursday morning (Twitter link). Following Leonard Fournette‘s release, Edmonds is now in line to pair with second-year back Rachaad White in Tampa.

This will be a fit-based signing, as Fox Sports’ Greg Auman tweets Edmonds is joining the Bucs on a league-minimum deal. This comes a year after the Dolphins signed him to a two-year, $12MM contract. The Broncos saved nearly $6MM in cap space by cutting Edmonds, adding to Denver’s funds ahead of a busy free agency week. They acquired him in the Bradley Chubb trade, picking up the running back’s salary after the Dolphins needed to shed it from their payroll to clear space for the edge rusher’s fifth-year option money.

Edmonds will turn 27 in May but is coming off a low-workload season; he logged just 84 touches in 2022. The Dolphins did not end up receiving much in the way of production from the ex-Cardinals starter; Edmonds averaged 2.9 yards per carry with Miami. The Fordham product fared better in Denver, sporting a 4.8-yard average for a team that by that point was starting a few backups along the offensive line.

The Cardinals started Edmonds over James Conner for most of the 2021 season, when the former fourth-round pick totaled a career-high 903 yards from scrimmage. Edmonds teamed with transition-tagged Kenyan Drake in 2020 and reached 850 scrimmage yards, scoring a career-most five touchdowns. Twice averaging 5.1 yards per carry in a season — the second such instance (2021) coming on 116 totes — Edmonds should still have some tread on his tires. He has only taken 401 handoffs in five pro seasons.

The Bucs ranked last on the ground in 2022, so White and Edmonds may face an uphill battle. Tampa Bay has not made any significant augmentations up front just yet, though it did re-sign guard Aaron Stinnie, who was lost for the 2022 season. The team cut eight-year left tackle Donovan Smith, viewing Tristan Wirfs as a candidate to switch sides. Ryan Jensen staying healthy also stands to improve the Bucs’ rushing attack.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/15/23

March 15th, 2023 at 9:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s tender decisions from around the NFL:

RFAs

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

ERFAs

Tendered:

Buccaneers Interested In Signing Ezekiel Elliott

March 15th, 2023 at 2:26pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ezekiel Elliott is set to hit the open market, putting the future of his Cowboys tenure very much in doubt. One of the teams which would be interested in adding the veteran running back is the Buccaneers, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Dallas has, as expected, informed the two-time rushing champ that he will be released in a cost-cutting move. Given his decline in production in recent years, and the availability of numerous other free agent backs, Elliott could be hard-pressed to find himself at the heart of a considerable bidding war. Tampa will at least kick the tires on adding him to their backfield, though.

The Buccaneers hired Skip Peete as their running backs coach, after he served in the same capacity in Dallas. That would give Elliott, 27, a familiar face to work with should he find himself unable to work out a new, smaller, deal with the Cowboys and interested in heading to Tampa. In the event he were to do so, the former top-five pick would have competition for snaps.

Tampa Bay is moving on from veteran Leonard Fournette, something which he asked for given the uncertainty surrounding the team. The Buccaneers will have a very new look on offense with someone not named Tom Brady under center, and Dave Canales in place as the new offensive coordinator. The team ranked last in the league on the ground in 2022, so upgrading in that department is likely to be an offseason priority.

Elliott produced career-lows in rushing yards (876) and yards per carry (3.8) in 2022, as his role in the Cowboys’ offense shifted to that of a short-yardage specialist. A similar role would likely await him in Tampa Bay if the two parties were to agree to a deal, given the presence of former third-rounders Rachaad White and Ke’Shawn Vaughn. The Bucs are high on the latter deal, Stroud notes, but a high-profile addition could still be in the cards.

Buccaneers To Bring Back Lavonte David

March 15th, 2023 at 1:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Lavonte David intends to sign another Buccaneers contract. The 10-year Tampa Bay starter is coming back on a one-year deal, according to CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson (on Twitter).

This will be David’s fourth Bucs contract. He stayed with the team in 2021, as part of the defending champions’ historic talent-retention effort, and will join Jamel Dean and Anthony Nelson in returning to the squad for the 2023 season. Despite the Bucs coming into March nearly $60MM over the cap, they have done well to retain some core defenders. They have also agreed to bring in Baker Mayfield.

David wanted to stay with the Bucs and test the market; he has now accomplished both offseason goals.The 12th-year defender will be back for $7MM, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report (on Twitter). The deal is guaranteed.

David joined Bobby Wagner as linebacker stalwarts going into age-33 seasons. While David’s All-Pro count does not approach Wagner’s historic number, he has been one of the greatest defenders in Bucs history. David’s 166 starts are top five in franchise history, trailing only Hall of Famers Ronde Barber Brooks and Derrick Brooks and longtime left tackle Paul Gruber.

The void years included on David’s previous Bucs contract would have led to the team carrying nearly $7MM on its 2023 cap sheet even if he was on another team. Reaching this deal before the 2023 league year begins will help the Bucs, who will now have David on their cap sheet to play. Considering David’s production to this point, the Bucs will be counting on him to deliver another season for a team that still houses a number of starters from Super Bowl LV.

Tampa Bay received an 18-game season from David, who tallied 124 tackles — his most since 2015 — and three sacks. The former second-round pick has been one of this era’s best linebackers, despite lacking in Pro Bowl nods. The Pro Bowl formula has worked against David for much of his career, with 4-3 outside linebackers — David’s official position until the Bucs switched to a 3-4 look under Todd Bowles in 2019 — grouped together with 3-4 pass rushers. Pro Football Focus has rated David as a top-five off-ball ‘backer in three of the past four seasons, slotting him third overall in 2022.

While Tom Brady‘s retirement figures to lower the Bucs’ profile in 2023, they are still bringing back six starters from Super Bowl LV on defense. Their offense still carries four first-stringers from that game, with Mayfield potentially stepping into Brady’s role in piloting it. That will do the most in defining how the Bucs respond after a 2022 letdown, but David continuing his partnership with Devin White — who is likely on the verge of a top-market extension — will go a long way toward giving the Bucs’ offense a sturdy safety net.

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