11th-Hour Extension Coming For McCoy?
May 5th, 2014
Draft week is an ideal time for a contract squeeze play, explains former Jets personnel executive Pat Kirwan.
And the Bucs have a critical cog in his contract year.
That would be Gerald McCoy, or as Lovie Smith calls McCoy, “the engine” of the defense.
Kirwan is an NFL insider for CBS Sports, co-hosts the popular Movin’ The Chains on NFL Radio, and he spent time as a Bucs scout and coached linebackers under Monte Kiffin in New York. Joe greatly respects Kirwan’s insight. So Joe was intrigued by Kirwan’s recent CBS blog entry that detailed front office happenings as the draft approaches. This one got Joe thinking about McCoy.
5. Potential player extensions: I made some of my best deals in the last few days leading up to the draft. I remember bringing a good young running back and his agent into my offices two days before the draft and telling them I had a four-year extension on my desk or we were going to draft a running back in the second round. It wasn’t a threat or a bad deal, but we were not going to let the club get into the last year of his deal and not have his replacement on the roster. He signed the deal and we skipped taking a back in that draft.
Joe realizes pie-in-the-sky Bucs fans think McCoy would never think of leaving his beloved Bucs, but that’s just not the real world.
McCoy, set to earn more than $10 million this season, is in line for a whopping new deal or unrestricted free agency. Lovie Smith already has said a new McCoy contract must be a priority for Tampa Bay.
What makes Kirwan’s premise interesting is that the Bucs have about $13 million remaining under this year’s salary cap. They’ll only need about a third of that to sign their draft picks. So there’s plenty of cap flexibility to sweeten McCoy’s 2014 contract and make a new deal work in the Bucs’ best interests.
Could McCoy be squeezed by Lovie telling him and his agent the Bucs will draft University of Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald if McCoy won’t take a new deal immediately? It’s not out of the question. Again, read what Kirwan wrote above, drafting Donald wouldn’t mean the Bucs want McCoy out.
Joe would think McCoy’s camp would want to see what kind of money Ndamukong Suh gets for his contract extension before they re-sign, but Suh’s people could be playing the same game.
May 5th, 2014 at 8:45 pm
This is about the next thing I’m eager to happen, the first is the draft. I really do want this to happen. With the recent purge McCoy is the best DT or top two best. Maybe our front office wants the draft to be done to work on a deal with him, maybe both teams are waiting for either to do a deal( lions and bucs), I don’t know and I just want him locked for a long term deal. The man deserves it and we need him as our leader and anchor in defense.
May 5th, 2014 at 9:03 pm
Doesn’t Geno Atkins make $11M per season? McCoy’s contract won’t be that monster relative to what he’s making in 2014 anyways. $12-13M per season?
On a side note, anyone see Schiano on Total Access tonight? Said he’d take Bortles as best QB in the Draft.
May 5th, 2014 at 9:33 pm
P*ss off McCoy with a threat, awesome negotiating tactic. What can go wrong?
Besides either McCoy calling your bluff or digging deeper and drafting a player you don’t need. Again, awesome.
May 5th, 2014 at 9:54 pm
Kalil Mack or Aaron Donald in the First PLEASE!!!!! Trade up or trade Back. Either way I want the NASTIEST Defense in the league. Thats how we won before thats how we win Next yr. Ready for ‘ship again.
May 5th, 2014 at 10:19 pm
Anyone see Greg Schiano on NFL.com talking about Jake Matthews? I was surprised to see him.
May 5th, 2014 at 10:42 pm
I listened to Kirwan’s comments earlier today and he implied that attempting a deal in the dwindling days before the draft would give the team leverage but I do not think that applies to the Bucs. With as many holes as the Bucs have it will not be an option to spend a high draft pick on a DT simply to replace McCoy if he is unwilling to extend right now. Surely he and his agents will see this as an empty threat. McCoy will get a fair deal, Lovie will see to that. . . But i canot belive it will be done under the threat of the forthcoming draft.
May 5th, 2014 at 10:52 pm
Manziel or Watkins in the 1st on offense or Mack on Defense. I will be a little disappointed otherwise unless we trade back and get some more picks. I just hope if they trade back, that they get solid starters and not just camp meat.
May 5th, 2014 at 11:28 pm
You have about a 75% chance of being disappointed. You may need to expand your list.
May 5th, 2014 at 11:47 pm
Yeah. Lol. I probably will be disappointed but they get paid to make the right pick and I am just a know nothing fan.
May 6th, 2014 at 1:03 am
Drafting Donald would be an insurance move and not the worst idea ever. I suspect McCoy is waiting for Suh to sign first because he (rightfully) believes he should be paid more. He is obviously better and not a 15-yard penalty waiting to happen. Suh might be a better pass rusher (might be…) but against the run its not even close.
May 6th, 2014 at 4:17 am
McCoy is still in single digit sacks. Make the deal now while you can save a few dollars.
Snook Says
“On a side note, anyone see Schiano on Total Access tonight? Said he’d take Bortles as best QB in the Draft.”
I saw that. And Tedford only went to one Pro Day…Bortles.
Shiano is a darn good spotter of talent, but I want Carr. Carr is miles above all the other QBs in this draft…especially Manziel. The problem is I think the teams ahead of us think so as well. Word is the Texans only want one QB in this draft…Carr. so he won’t be there for us in round 2.
May 6th, 2014 at 7:37 am
I read several mocks yesterday and most of them had us picking Evans at 7. One had us taking Bortles.
May 6th, 2014 at 9:33 am
“Texans only want one QB in this draft…Carr. so he won’t be there for us in round 2.”
That would be like the Bucs drafting Bo Jackson’s little brother.
May 6th, 2014 at 12:35 pm
I think the hold up is that they are using ” Joe’s evaluation tool ” the one he used on MG8 that says he is a terrible player because he led the 32nd ranked offense. Well McCoy has led the 32nd D-line in the NFL for the past 4 years!!!!