“Restructure Is Coming To Some Degree”
May 18th, 2019
A certified cap guru weighs in on an option for Bucs GM Jason Licht (above)
BY ZACHARY SEIFTER
JoeBucsFan.com intern
The Bucs appear to have less than $250,000 in cap space right now.
Think about that. About the only thing $250,000 will buy you in the NFL is a second chance with Roberto Aguayo.
And I don’t think anybody wants to even think about that.
So how do the Bucs fix their salary cap woes considering they have a draft class to sign and might want a free agent or two after roster cuts are made around the league in early September?
The popular answer has been to trade Gerald McCoy and his $13 million salary.
Salary cap authority Spotrac.com Managing Editor Mike Ginnitti believes there is a trade on the way, so he clearly told WDAE-AM 620 on Tuesday.
But the Bucs are going to have to take on some of the payment, he says
“I think Tampa is going to have to eat some of this and what that means is they’re going to have to restructure this contract to some degree,” Ginnitti explained. “Pay him a small signing bonus, which essentially keeps some of the dead cap with Tampa Bay, and then if the Browns or the 49ers or whoever takes this on, will have a lesser amount of cap space to work with if and when they go and try to re-do his contract. It just seems to be that’s what the hold-up is. Otherwise I think Cleveland already has him on the roster right now. It just seems like nobody wants to address that $13 million elephant in the room right now. I think a restructure is coming to some degree in order to get him out of here. So really it’s like a $5 million payment to buy a draft pick.”
Now $5 million is a lot to pay for what will probably be a Day 3 draft pick. If this suggested trade is to happen, the Bucs must address their need at running back by bringing Duke Johnson in.
Along with that, the Bucs would get $8 million in relief if they give McCoy a $5 million signing bonus and eat the dead cap space. That should push them close to what they need to sign the draft class, the Johnson is due roughly $2.3 million this year, per Spotrac.
Many would be happy with Johnson and the significant cap relief. Some might say the Bucs would win that trade.
But nothing will happen until the $13 million elephant in the room is addressed.
May 18th, 2019 at 1:56 pm
Maybe McCoy is in secret training and diet and will reappear at OBP weighing 280lbs
May 18th, 2019 at 2:00 pm
What would happen if any of the draft picks were to suffer a career ending injury during OTA’s without having signed their contract yet?
May 18th, 2019 at 2:03 pm
Jets just switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3. Just signed a RB with a base salary around $9 mil for 2019, rumor is they might be looking to trade him, and that HC/GM Gase was opposed to the signing in the first place.
#93 and a 3rd for Bell, please.
May 18th, 2019 at 2:07 pm
A back to back 5-11 NFL team
With $250.000 in cap space
Nothing amazes me about this team
May 18th, 2019 at 2:08 pm
I would start by looking at the dead wood on the team and remove it. How can the Glazers look at how bad this team has been and the financial cap trouble JL has put them in and not have jettisoned him. If the father were still with us, JL would have been gone after season 1.
May 18th, 2019 at 2:10 pm
Drafted players and some undrafted free agents have insurance for those things. If you are camp meat, Bucs give a guy a parting gift (check) and wave goodbye.
May 18th, 2019 at 2:15 pm
One remark Jason “Bozo” Licht
May 18th, 2019 at 2:20 pm
What has Ginnitti been smoking? Why in heavens name would the Bucs PAY GMC $5 mil so they could trade him to the Brownies & retrieve $8 mil? Why not just release him outright & gain $13 mil? Picking up a Day-3 pick (say a Rnd 5 or 6) for $5 mil is ridiculous. That whole scenario makes absolutely no sense.
I like Duke Johnson too, but there WILL be RBs on the FA market when cutdowns occur. Three always are. And at that point it’s a Buyer’s Market.
Goofy as it apparently sounds to several JBFers, I’d still much rather work a trade with Arizona … GMC & VHIII for Patrick Peterson. Yes, even if it means cutting someone else to make the $$$ work out. Bucs badly NEED a veteran in our Secondary.
May 18th, 2019 at 2:31 pm
The Arians hire has really kind of smoothed over what a horrible job that the genius Jason has done.
10 – 22 the last 2 seasons with players that have you up against the cap.
Totally unacceptable.
May 18th, 2019 at 2:36 pm
If GMC won’t restructure, just cut him and move on. There no way Bucs should make a $5M payment to trade for a pathetic RB. Yeah look at Duke Johnson’s numbers – pathetic. The guy isn’t even worth a seventh round pick. That’s crazy. Oh and then fire Gump before he can screw anything else up.
May 18th, 2019 at 2:49 pm
joe
once again you are dead wrong… bonzi and Hawaiian have told us time and time again the compensation will be multiple first round picks and the receiving team will gladly pay 15 million for her services… get it right Joe…
May 18th, 2019 at 2:53 pm
D R
paying a 5million ransom to get cancer93 off this team and give these young kids hope and change is a very small price to pay. they have already paid 110 million for 8 basement titles and her great first step to nowhere… not to mention her being the proud captain of more blowouts than any other buc captain in this minor league franchises pathetic history. dance dance dance! 5 million is a cheap price to pay to upgrade you team and give young players hope.
May 18th, 2019 at 3:04 pm
@ Defense
Took the words right out of my mouth…….why eat $5mil…..and forget a day 3 draft pick……a player would be different like Duke……
Just cut the man….we need the money…..cut him….let him fend for himself.
I like GMC but he is not affordable.
May 18th, 2019 at 3:07 pm
Yeah I’m in TOTAL agreement that paying GMC to leave is nonsense.
If he isn’t on this team and we don’t swap a 5th for a 6th then we cut him.
No brainer.
I believe the trade or acquisition they are working on is more blockbuster than Patrick Peterson too.
If not cut him loose and rebuild.
Signs are starting to light up like Vegas.
5 million to leave is what a true contender might do for 1 missing piece.
May 18th, 2019 at 3:08 pm
Tmaxipad once again you are wrong an nothing you say is tru. Why waste your time commenting wen nobody cares what you say. It’s laughable an I mean laughing at you not with you. How dumb are you to think gmc is the sole reason this team has bin in the basement. Uneducated dumb miserable troll tmaxipad Pretty sure you are the king of cancer
May 18th, 2019 at 3:14 pm
My vote is to cut GMC and move on from this distraction.
May 18th, 2019 at 3:39 pm
Cut the man or eat money and pay him. Lets move on with or without GMC. But lets do somethin. To be honest, if the salary cap is as bad as they say it is? But both GMC and JPP. Be done with it. You guys stupid to actually think JPP is comin back at anything close to what he was. Lets move on. Cut them both and money issue is resolved. Wait for cutdowns or trade for a DE.
May 18th, 2019 at 3:48 pm
#1bucsfan
so brain surgeon please tell what is wrong
is it the 10 basement titles since last meaningful in 03….. am I wrong about that scoreboard so no I am not wrong….
am I wrong about the fact the glazer morons have destroyed two franchises on two continents again scoreboard has my back on both pal…
is it the fact the one dimensional dungy the clown was fired for not getting the job done after whyce built his defense and he and mckay could not build a specials team or offense… again you can’t rewrite history because your feelings get in the way…. mckay and dungy the clown failed both are jokes. results matter feelings are for soft losers
this is the only franchise that calls players that had 1 great year and managed a pathetic 5 playoff wins legends… so you are telling me I am wrong because I wont’ lower the bar for has been feel good stories… real legends have multiple championships not meaningless rankings and even more meaningless pro bowls so again am I wrong… lowering your standards because that’s the best you got is pathetic and sad…. joe montana, brady, stuabach, franco harris those are legends bucs have two legends sapp and selmon the rest are just coat tail riders who choked in the post season. 2 playoff wins in 6 years proves that. they won nothing after the great year… sapp carried those guys none of them won anything without sapp except lynch who had his best years in Denver not Tampa.
am I wrong about the bucs owning the worst winning percentage…. no
am I wrong every year the same bozos like you buy into the off-season hype only to get nutpunched by week 4 and draft talk by week 10… once again scoreboard proves I am right
you are not a better fan because you have low standards and accept failure with a smile!
scoreboard never lies and has no feelings to cloud judgement….
reality is your friend it’s not that scary i promise!
May 18th, 2019 at 4:05 pm
How many playoff wins does Selmon have moron nothing supports your conspiracy. You have no clue what you speak of.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:13 pm
McCoy has to agree to restructure…..His feelings have been hurt, he isn’t budging. They can either pay him in full or the next team can…..or cut him. Licht has screwed this up royally. He put it out in the media playing hard ball, then JPP went down and now McCoy has them bent over. They have no cap space, they’re thin on the d-line and still have to sign their rookies plus likely want to pick up some training camp cuts before Sept. They’ll get nothing unless they pay some of the salary. That’s it. Everyone keeps assuming McCoy will just sign an extension….he doesn’t have to do a thing but remain patient.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:16 pm
Tmax– Once again, six playoff wins for this franchise, not five.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:18 pm
Mike Ginnitti fails to understand something…the Bucs would only want to get rid of McCoy because of his cap hit. If he restructures, that issue is dealt with and they can keep him.
But…don’t expect a restructure anyway. McCoy would only do it if they trade him to a team he wants to go to, and the Browns would not be that team. If McCoy is making less, more teams would want him. Better offers would come in.
But if he holds out, the Bucs will have to either keep him or cut him…and then he gets to pick his next team if they cut him. So he really has no reason to restructure.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:19 pm
Bobby M. Says:
“McCoy has to agree to restructure…”
Not at all. Consider this…what will happen if he doesn’t?
The Bucs will either have to keep him or cut him…and he would get his pick of a team if cut.
So he doesn’t have to restructure at all. He’s in the driveer’s seat…Not the Bucs.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:22 pm
TexBuc Says
“My vote is to cut GMC and move on from this distraction.”
Who is it a distraction to? Certainly not the players or coaches.
Only the media and the fans are even fretting over it at all.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:25 pm
Here’s what I know…McCoy is a Top 10 DT for sure. Some say he is Top 5.
Where does Goulston rank among DEs? Where does Dotson rank among RTs?
Keeping McCoy is the smart play. Cut a RT and a DE and you save $8m+. You can trim even more by cutting other players who have had chance after chance to prove themselves.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:28 pm
Defense Rules Says
“I like Duke Johnson too, but there WILL be RBs on the FA market when cutdowns occur. Three always are. And at that point it’s a Buyer’s Market.”
We may not even need to sign any running backs if the ones we have keep looking improved.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:43 pm
Bonzai … We need to let them put on pads first. Hoping for change is wonderful, but it’s not a strategy (unless you’re running for president apparently). I’d feel a lot better about our offense if we pick up a quality starting RG and a RB to complement what Barber brings to the table. Yes, someone like Duke Johnson.
IF Barber does tear up the league this year, we won’t be able to afford him next year. IF he doesn’t do well, we’d need another back anyways, even if we re-sign him for another ‘trial’ year. Our Running Back stable looks like 1 Quarter-horse & 3 starter ponies getting ready to run the Kentucky Derby. I’d feel much better if we added at least 1 thoroughbred to the mix to give us a fighting chance.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:53 pm
@Mike Johnson … “You guys stupid to actually think JPP is comin back at anything close to what he was.” Tell me something Mike. EXACTLY how bad is JPP’s neck injury? To my knowledge there’s been ZERO published by anyone dealing with the EXTENT of JPP’s injury. I’m pretty sure the Bucs know, since they’re in to JPP for $7.5 mil already this season. Do you REALLY think they’d just take JPP’s doctor’s word for it that it can likely heal itself in 5-6 months?
And yet, for some reason, the Bucs don’t seem to be panicking. Of course, they don’t need to. Joe & many JBFers seem to do enough of that for everyone. JPP has ZERO trade value right now, and he’s under contract with the Bucs for this and another season. Something will shake out before Sept. BA & Bowles are well aware of what their options are I’m confident & are developing a plan to deal with various contingencies. They MIGHT even let JL in on it one day.
May 18th, 2019 at 4:54 pm
#1bucsfan Says:
May 18th, 2019 at 4:05 pm
How many playoff wins does Selmon have moron nothing supports your conspiracy. You have no clue what you speak of.
Leroy Selmon has one playoff win…..1979
Won Divisional Playoffs (Eagles) 24–17
May 18th, 2019 at 5:02 pm
Dead man walking…..agreed, no chance GMC dons a Bucs uniform again. The Browns know this, hence the lack of urgency. Good luck getting that hat and a free bowl of soup for GMC.
May 18th, 2019 at 5:03 pm
Whether you like McCoy or not or think he is worth it or not is no longer the issue. We are now dealing with a disgruntled NFL player who isn’t the least bit happy with the Buccaneer organization. If the Buccaneers have learned anything from last year it should be you don’t restructure (lower) contracts! Grimes said it was above his pay rate to cover the other teams #1 WR and he meant it. Just for a little icing on top he played his a$$ off the final game of the season to prove he was dogging it on purpose.
May 18th, 2019 at 5:09 pm
Teams that are looking to move onerous/unfavorable contracts; restructure said contracts. To increase the appeal for potential suitors all the time. It’s a practice that’s quite common. No reason to get bent out the shape. Just the cost of doing business sometimes.
May 18th, 2019 at 5:16 pm
Cut jpp , gholston and McCoy. Save $25M. Eventually next year will be facing same scenario. And wait for other teams to trim their roster and sign some
d line. If we take a gamble on jpp when he comes back and he gets injured it will be a costly mistake. Didn’t gholston have the same injury and was done that year?
May 18th, 2019 at 5:28 pm
Lol….funny how little the “real” buc fans know… it amazes me.
@tmax – not sure we’ll see Hawaii posting anymore fwiw
As for McIceCream if you can restructure his contract why not just make it a signing bonus of 12 mil and pay him a 1 mil contract? From what I understand the signing bonus doesn’t count against the cap. What am I missing?
Of course I’d cut McIceCream in a New York minute but if we can somehow land Patrick Peterson with a trade of sorts I’m all for it.
May 18th, 2019 at 5:30 pm
“Here’s what I know…McCoy is a Top 10 DT for sure. Some say he is Top 5.”
Aaron Donald
Chris Jones
DeForrest Buckner
Jarran Reed
Fletcher Cox
Geno Atkins
Those 6 had 10+ sacks last year. Twice as many as #93. All but Atkins ALSO had twice as many tackles as Mccoy. You know Geno Atkins, the guy who went in the 4th round after we took McCoy #3 overall. With 70+ career sacks and about $40 mil less earned over his career.
Denico Autry had 9 sacks and 28 tackles, exactly 150% the production we got from #93 last year (17 tackles 6 sacks)
Johnathan Allen had 8 sacks and 35 tackles.
Sheldon Rankins.
Cameron Heyward. Both with 8 sacks and 150% Mccoy’s tackle total.
Akeem Hicks. 7.5 sacks and 41 tackles last year. That’s better than 6 and 17, right?
Jurrell Casey. 7 sacks 36 tackles last year. Did you know in Casey’s career (1 year shorter than McCoy’s) they’ve started the same amount of games (123). McCoy had 8 more sacks, Casey has 150 more tackles. Let me repeat. In 8 years, Jurrell Casey had made 150 more tackles than Gerald McCoy has made in 9 years. Oh, and Casey”s made $52 million compared to McCoy’s $110 million.
Someone named Javon Hargrave had 6.5 sacks and 32 tackles last year. That’s more sacks than the $110 million dollar man, and basically twice as many tackles.
Kenny Clark had as many sacks as McCoy last year with 36 tackles, yes he made twice as many plays as #93.
Grady Jarrett, 6 sacks, 27 solo tackles, 52 tackles+assists. McCoy had 28.
The immortal Larry Ogunjobi had 5.5 sacks and 33 solo tackles.
Also:
Suh
Kawaan Short
Quinnen Williams
I just named 16 Defensive Tackles who each had 150% the output of what #93 gave us last year. 3 more who are universally accepted to be better/more valuable assets than McCoy. That’s 19. In a 32 team league.
Based on production, McCoy is somewhere between the 15th and 20th best DT in the league at this point.
“Here’s what I know…McCoy is a Top 10 DT for sure.”
To quote the great Steve Duemig: “You think you know, but you don’t know…”
May 18th, 2019 at 5:47 pm
This is ALL on Jason Gump! No freeking way around it. He makes Dominik (Joes favorite go to source for all things Buc) look like a genius! Both of them together are responsible for 10 years of garbage!
May 18th, 2019 at 6:00 pm
Put McCoy at running back, solves both problems.
May 18th, 2019 at 6:04 pm
McCoy had FOUR solo tackles and 1.5 sacks in the first 2 months of 2018.
He had one solo tackle in the MNF Steelers game on September 24th. It was his 4th of the year. Three full games followed where he did not make a single solo tackle. Not one.
McCoy’s 5th solo tackle of the year came on November 11th.
Gerald McCoy went 49 days without making a single tackle in 2018. By the time he started to produce at an average level, the season was over.
Go look it up.
May 18th, 2019 at 6:09 pm
How the hell can we be in such cap hell. Licht should be cleaning cages at the zoo!
May 18th, 2019 at 6:10 pm
The $13 million elephant in the room is being addressed.
He’s not at the workouts.
May 18th, 2019 at 7:35 pm
In the matter of GMC, the correct move for the Bucs, is to do nothing and say nothing.Time is on their side.
The 1st side (Bucs, Browns, GMC) that blinks loses.
May 18th, 2019 at 8:44 pm
Cut GMC and JPP and trade Brate. Cut the deadwood too. That way their ready to pounce on a pre-season cut at DE, RB or OL.
May 18th, 2019 at 8:49 pm
79
The underachieving has beens under dungy the clown won 2 playoff games and during grudens glory the washed has beens won 3 that is 5 sir…… McKay had the only other win and that was before free agency during a real expansion team.
Those laughable legends low standard bucfan bucfan refers to only won 5 sir
Any way you slice it 6 playoff wins in 42 years is beyond laughable
May 18th, 2019 at 9:27 pm
Duke Johnson isnt going to give us any more production on the field than the guys that are currently in the locker room. If Cleveland thought Duke Johnson was some incredible RB they wouldnt have signed Kareem Hunt, they wouldnt have drafted Bradley Chubb, and they wouldnt have signed Carlos Hyde the year before.
Get off this idiotic kick of always trying to bring in other peoples trash.
May 18th, 2019 at 11:00 pm
Gotbbucs:
Disagree , look how many catches and yards per run he has and chubs or any of the others caught 70 plus catches last year and still isn’t full time RB. Duke is a talent and little wear in him , he has breakaway speed and can do all.
Guess you can say Farve was falcons garbage, Michael Bennett , Lynch Bucs garbage , many players aren’t used right or coaches have issues with.
Look at alstott when Gruden got here , refused to use him as RB on FB and lost lots of Productivity from Mike cause Gruden ego. Was he trash according to your logic.
May 18th, 2019 at 11:06 pm
THETRUTH
Thectruth is alstott was far more popular than great. bucfan doesn’t understand the difference between popular and greatness thus the labeling of underachieving has beens as legends.
May 19th, 2019 at 10:31 am
Gerald McBezos, Great name, dude! Nice posts, too.
In addition to McCoys falling statistics, he (and JPP for that matter) are not 3-4 players. That’s how we obtained JPP, remember? Now, the Bucs D won’t be in a 3-4 permanently but, why keep expensive players for part time roles? “Ask a guy to do what he is good at”; square peg, round hole…and all. And I’d hate to see JPP go! GMC playing a position he swore he wouldn’t? JPP as an outside linebacker? No comprende?
May 19th, 2019 at 9:06 pm
I remember how loudly the McCoy defenders shouted “he just needs some help on the DL, he’s playing with bums!”
We bring in a dominant edge rusher, a top 10 DT beside him, and a guy who had an above average season in Nassib. The result? 17 tackles, 6 sacks.
Also:
Player A broke an explosive (20+ yard) run once every 76 carries. He produced a first down on 21% of his carries, and caught 20+ passes in 3 seasons, with a high of 31 catches.
Player B broke an explosive run once every 77 carries. He produced a first down on 18% of his carries, and caught 20+ passes in 7 seasons, with a high of 50 catches.
Player C broke an explosive run once every 52 carries. He produced a first down on 24% of his carries, and caught 20+ passes in 9 seasons, with a high of 65 catches.
Player A is Jerome Bettis.
Player B is Eddie George.
These were the “elite power workhorse RBs of their era”
Player C is Mike Alstott.
May 19th, 2019 at 9:20 pm
For what it’s worth, Legarette Blount, whose only crime here was not being enough of a Schianoman, breaks an explosive run once every 33 carries.
Career YPC
Blount 4.2
Bettis 3.9
Alstott 3.7
George 3.6
We traded the best power RB of our generation for a MF sprinter. Screw you, Jeff Demps.
11 playoff touchdowns and 3 super bowl rings later, Blount is still a better player than Doug Martin ever dreamed of being.