O.J. Howard & His Fifth-Year Option
April 29th, 2020
It’s the time of year when teams must decide whether to exercise the fifth-year option in the contracts of their 2017 first-round draft picks.
The Tampa Bay Times reports today that the Bucs will take that option on O.J. Howard, the No. 19 overall pick three years ago.
The move shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s low risk, and potentially a high reward as the tight end market is not plentiful and the exercised option potentially makes Howard more attractive in a trade. What gets overlooked is the fact the Year 5 option is not guaranteed, unless the player gets injured before the contract is guaranteed in March 2021.
When the Bucs took their fifth-year option on Vernon Hargreaves (2016), he was gone without the Bucs owing him a nickel during his fourth year. Back in 2015, the Bucs passed on their fifth-year option on Doug Martin. That cost Team Glazer in the wallet a year later.
The Bucs took the fifth-year option on America’s Backup Quarterback, Jameis Winston, and that’s what he played on last season.
April 29th, 2020 at 4:16 pm
This reminds me of when the Bucs extended Michael Clayton.
High draft pick … doesn’t do squat. Rewarded for lack of production.
April 29th, 2020 at 4:18 pm
This makes perfect sense for this team. 🥴
April 29th, 2020 at 4:23 pm
Somehow, I think TB12 will get the butter outta the duck. OJ is the duck.
April 29th, 2020 at 4:23 pm
Low risk……sounds smart
April 29th, 2020 at 4:27 pm
Hey, it’s a production league. OJ controls his own destiny. Get better, or get packing!
April 29th, 2020 at 4:28 pm
Bye Bye Brate
April 29th, 2020 at 4:29 pm
AHAHAHA, America’s Backup Quarterback, haha, thank you Joe, that was awesome!
April 29th, 2020 at 4:29 pm
We never saw Jameis getting in players’ faces too much. Because of his frequent turnovers, he didn’t have freedom of speech to do so. Can you imagine him getting in OJ’s face saying “Hey! Get your head on right! Catch the ding dang ball!” and Oj ould say, “Jameis, you just threw 2 interceptions and fumbled, get outta my face”
TB12 on the other hand, LIVES in other players’ faces when they mess up because he has freedom of speech.
I think that will be a definite positive factor that TB12 brings to the table
April 29th, 2020 at 4:31 pm
America’s Backup Quarterback LOL, I didn’t notice that
April 29th, 2020 at 4:32 pm
I miss Jameis :{
April 29th, 2020 at 4:54 pm
Taysom Hill signs a 2yr $20 Mill contract and Jameis gets $1.1 Mill base. LOL
$4.7 Mill with incentives he will never earn on the bench.
Shows you the flyer the Saints feel they are taking and what Jameis is worth.
April 29th, 2020 at 5:09 pm
Use the man……use the TEs……
April 29th, 2020 at 5:18 pm
Congrats OJ. You’re the 3rd Bucs first rounder in a row to have his 5th year option picked up: Jameis, VH3 and now you. Oh boy!
April 29th, 2020 at 5:41 pm
It’s official on their website.
April 29th, 2020 at 6:12 pm
This is why the bucs are the bucs. Should’ve got what they could for him during the draft. Licht doesn’t like to admit mistakes. OJ is a freak physically but it doesn’t look like he has the mental part down. My guess is he comes in this year and under performs yet again. Hopefully we can get at least a 2021 5th.
April 29th, 2020 at 6:12 pm
Before the trade deadline
April 29th, 2020 at 6:15 pm
If he was a team first guy and prepare like he should he would be unstoppable and seeked out by every team in the league, but hes soft
April 29th, 2020 at 6:26 pm
Horrible move!!!!!!!!! But not surprising!!!!!! Should have let him play out this year, and if another team over pays, then bucs get a compensatory pick!!!!!!!!! That is easier for another team to do then trying to trade him on a fifth year option and have to give up a draft pick!!!!!!!! Licht bulb clearly has no idea what he is doing!!!!!!!!!!!! But that has been painfully obvious for years!!!!!!!!!
go bucs!!!!!!!!!!
April 29th, 2020 at 6:26 pm
You sign him encase he blows up this year you don’t have negotiate on that, he is already paid. you can trade him or cut him and not have to pay the $6 million.
April 29th, 2020 at 6:29 pm
Joe I love the new Jameis nickname. Imagine people were throwing out 30mil/yr for that guy and his market value is 10% of that rate. That shows the gm is better at his job than we think he are. And take the 5th on oj- if Brady doesn’t use him he’s not usable -Brady finds the open guy who can catch. Always has.
April 29th, 2020 at 6:30 pm
Once again, people are coming after the Bucs. Gronk stated that he had a playbook 4 weeks ago. That would be tampering unless the Pats approved it.
Sigh. These two guys sure are doing their best to get us in trouble.
April 29th, 2020 at 6:32 pm
TBBF … Still got the feeling that we’ll see a much different Bucs’ offense this year. Probably a combination of ‘Bombs Away’ and ‘Dink & Dunk’. On both sides of the ball though, SMASHMOUTH FOOTBALL will be the mantra.
April 29th, 2020 at 6:33 pm
As to OJ Howard, this is a smart move. They can still cut him without penalty unless he gets injured.
And his stats were down the past 2 years because of Demar Dotson needing help blocking. That issue is solved and Howard will break out this year.
I would remind you people…you all gave up on Mike Evans, Vita Vea, Rojo and others too soon too.
April 29th, 2020 at 6:49 pm
Yikes. Hopefully it ends better for Howard.
This is a smart move for the Bucs. Yes he had a down year last year, but he improved from year to year 2.
Hopefully Brady will have influence and we start using our TEs more. Otherwise, WTF did we trade a pick to get Gronk for? And why both still paying Brate?
Use the damn TEs! We’ve got the best group in the league!
April 29th, 2020 at 6:54 pm
I wish hard knocks featuring the bucs was this year, it would have been great to with Brady, Gronk and everyone else.
April 29th, 2020 at 6:55 pm
Great TV
April 29th, 2020 at 7:32 pm
Well he’s got the off-season to get his game on track. I’m convinced Bruce lost trust in the guy. It wasn’t about the playbook holding OJ back. It was about trust.
He’s gotta earn back Bruce’s trust but more importantly earn the trust of Brady. My guess is he will either be a big part of the offense or will be taking snaps behind Brate.
I will hope we see a new and improved OJ. He might not realize this but he could be one of the most lethal TEs in the game and a huge part of a top tier offense. The reason he isn’t even been discussed in that conversation in any of his 3 years is entirely on him.
April 29th, 2020 at 8:45 pm
EA
I wish hard knocks featuring the bucs was this year, it would have been great to with Brady, Gronk and everyone else.
Have you watched any sports shows since March? It’s already going to be a circus when camp starts, they mention the Bucs everyday now, we don’t need any other distractions as is….
April 29th, 2020 at 9:32 pm
I laugh at people that say OJ is soft? they bse a person on a bad season. season before last his numbers were heading him to pro bowl then an injury he tried to play thru but couldn’t. Folks some injuries you can t work thru doesn’t mean you are soft, are we going to say Cam Newton was soft? in house Cameron Brate is soft cause he had trouble coming back too. Its just been bad luck. The truth last year he was asked to block like mentioned by another post and its true our line sucked. If number one draft pick is a horse OJ and gronk and brate are back as weapons. I think right now the back up tight ends will play for who is tradable.
April 29th, 2020 at 9:34 pm
Move that had to be made
April 29th, 2020 at 9:34 pm
Now restructure Gronk to a team friendly deal
April 29th, 2020 at 9:48 pm
Terrible move by Licht. Even if he has a great year, he wouldn’t be worth what they are going to pay him next year.
April 29th, 2020 at 10:03 pm
Good move. Glad Howard is staying, Brdy will figure it out or tell coaches to offload him.
April 30th, 2020 at 12:47 am
They picked up Hargreaves fifth year option too, look where he’s at now
April 30th, 2020 at 1:32 am
Wasn’t it Sapp that coined the phrase, “Looks like Tarzan, but plays like Jane”?
Love that.
April 30th, 2020 at 3:01 am
O.J. Coward. 6’6 244 & runs out of bounds.
Gronk is a real Tight end, Trucks Mo Fo’s Like Mike Alstott.
April 30th, 2020 at 6:47 am
Buccaneer Bonzai Says:
April 29th, 2020 at 6:30 pm
Once again, people are coming after the Bucs. Gronk stated that he had a playbook 4 weeks ago. That would be tampering unless the Pats approved it.
Sigh. These two guys sure are doing their best to get us in trouble.
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BB, Brady won’t last long once the regular season starts. He’s too old, and the Ds will be gunning for him. This is the Bucs, not the Belicheats. Patriots aren’t called BeliCHEATS for nothing, you know. I may skip this season.
April 30th, 2020 at 6:28 pm
It’s really criminal th way Jamis is taking the hit for 30 INTs. I think if they had given him the protection in the OL they are spending money on to protect TB12 a lot of those INTs might have null and avoid. But we will see, TB12 and Gronk are coming from the AFC to the Black and Blue division. Welcome TB12 and Gronk