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There are endorsements of players and politicians, and then there’s what America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, put his name on yesterday at One Buc Palace.

It was an all out love feast for Cameron Brate, the 2014 tight end find by general manager Jason Licht’s personnel team. Brate has impressed all around him — and crushed NFL defenses by leading the league in touchdowns at his position last year.

“Every time we talk about Cam Brate, I’ve just got to go back to who is the hardest working guy who catches the ball. Who is that? It’s Cam Brate,” Jameis said. “He is the cream of the crop. This guy has been working hard his whole life. I just love him because he went to Harvard. He could be in politics right now or doing whatever he wants to do in his life, but he loves football and you can see it. He works at football like – it is our job. He gives all he has, he takes care of his body and he just continues to make play after play and the touchdowns are contagious for that guy. He just always finds a knack to catch the ball and get into the end zone.”

As Bucs fans remember from the soul-sucking loss in Minnesota last Sunday, Brate held on to a touchdown despite getting speared in the back of the head. It was a dirty play that Dirk Koetter said was missed by officials who later acknowledged their screwup. (No concussion, Brate said the next day on the Buccaneers Radio Network.)

Jameis continued, saying Brate has 100 percent attendance when it comes to working  after practice.

“There would never be a day. Cam Brate? No,” Jameis said of Brate’s work after/before practice. “That guy, he works his tail off and he is consistent in everything he does. He’s improving to get better every single day. Every quarterback, every teammate wants a teammate like Cameron Brate on his team.”

Dirk Koetter piled on even more Brate love later in the day.

Dangerous tight ends (not the blocking kind like Luke Stocker) make serious coin in the NFL. Brate is an unrestricted free agent after this season. And by the winter of 2019, he’d be a free man on the market if the Bucs don’t lock him down.

That’s a million miles away in the world of the NFL. But it’ll be interesting to see how the Bucs approach all the potentially big contracts coming down their pike. Sadly, reality says at least one of these guys in line for fat deals will inevitably get hurt and be out of football or ineffective before they hit the jackpot.