Prediction: Bucs Keep Three Big Names
February 22nd, 2021
You’d smile too if you could pull this off.
A popular football website with dubious information often collected by dude in Irish dorm rooms has made a prediction:
The Bucs’ top three name free agents will return for next season. That’s the word from the notorious PFF tribe. Anthony Treash is of the mind that Lavonte David, Chris Godwin and sack king Shaq Barrette are members of the Bucs’ Big 8 free agents that will have new contracts next month.
Treash believes the Bucs will slap the franchise tag on receiver Chris Godwin, costing Team Glazer, $15.8 million for the 2021 season. Linebacker Lavonte David is next. He will get a three-year pact at $40 million with $23.5 million guaranteed.
And Bucs sack king Shaq Barrett will get a four-year contract at $68 million with $40 million guaranteed. Treash agrees with former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik, Shaq is an excellent player the way Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles uses him.
Interestingly, Treash predicts furniture-tossing, bicycle-throwing Bucs receiver Antonio Brown will stay in Tampa Bay for 2021. Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht will retain Brown on a one-year deal for $2 million with plenty of incentives in the contract.
For that kind of bread, Joe has no idea how the Bucs keep the rest of the Big 8.
Joe would keep Ryan Succop before Brown. When was the last time the Bucs had a decent kicker? Scoring clutch points is kind of important, yes? Don’t toy with fate.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:06 am
Gronk, Succop and Suh will cost $20-25 million. How will all of them be signed if you sign Godwin?
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:07 am
Greenberg will get it done. Succop is not going anywhere.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:08 am
Unless we draft another kicker. LMAO
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:08 am
I’m all for keeping the 3 mentioned.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:11 am
Sorry PFF Tribe, not buying it. IF Bucs gave those 3 (LVD, Godwin & Shaq) that kind of money (roughly $47 mil in 2021 for all 3) they’d already be over the salary CAP ASSUMING that it stays at $198 mil. Sorry Tribe, the numbers don’t even come close to working out.
Reality IMO is that we’ll lose Godwin regardless. We MIGHT lose Shaq also if he decides to ‘break the bank’. And LVD won’t be getting $40 mil over 3 yrs, although he’ll probably settle for that over 4 yrs so he can finish his career here.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:22 am
I think we lose Shaq. There’s been a lot reports Bucs want to sign Godwin long term, if not they’ll tag him.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:23 am
Shaq is going to be hard to keep! I’m not too optimistic right now.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:27 am
Thank the lord you’re not the gm we’d still have the interception king as qb and would of been talking about draft in October again clown
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:28 am
Pasty one
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:29 am
players like Brady and Smith will be extended, others like Brate and Gholston will take pay cuts or be waived.
As Derrick Brooks has said for years: if they want to keep you, they will find a way
The salary cap can be manipulated and they can make the numbers work for 2021
We are in a Super Bowl window, it will get done now and we’ll be in cap hell later, its worth it
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:33 am
Succop finally solved the Bucs kicking problem. Licht isn’t gonna let him get away.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:35 am
Let’s all hope that Succop is not going anywhere.
He is by far the best kicker we have had, in recent memory.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:40 am
I am with you DR. I fear we couldn’t afford CG and Shaq and pray Jason Licht (maybe with a little help from a former #199 pick) convinces the other 6 FAs to give us a discount.
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:42 am
We need to keep Gronkowski also as he’s part of the reason Brady had such great protection. Don’t sleep on that. Go watch the k
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:43 am
Numbers do not appear to add up, there is more than 3 to deal with. I see 2 of the big 3, but not 3 for 3. Tag Shaq and work out the rest from there. GO BUCS!!!
February 22nd, 2021 at 9:43 am
Joe,
It’s time for a serious article about our Free Agency & the cap……we continually are hearing about the “big 8” but the truth is….we have a multitude of FAs needed to be signed along with the 2021 draft picks…..to say we have a good cap situation is disingenuous
at best…..
So…..let’s cut the JJ Watt, Von Miller stuff and focus on the task at hand.
The choice is Godwin or 10 of these guys…..Shaq or 12 of these guys.
Shaquil Barrett
Lavonte David
Steve McLendon
Rob Gronkowski
Ndamukong Suh
Joe Haeg
Leonard Fournette
Ryan Smith
Antonio Brown
Rakeem Nunez-Roches
Ryan Griffin
Antony Auclair
Kevin Minter
Blaine Gabbert
Earl Watford
A.Q. Shipley
Ryan Succop
LeSean McCoy
Andrew Adams
Josh Wells
Deone Bucannon
Ross Cockrell
Kenjon Barner
Chris Godwin
Jack Cichy
Tanner Hudson
Jeremiah Ledbetter
T.J. Logan
Pat O’Connor
Buccaneers
Aaron Stinnie
Zach Triner
Cyril Grayson
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:03 am
I promise Shaq is not the same sack king on the left side where he was moved from the right after 19.5 sacks in 2019. He has to have the inside pressure of Vea and Suh on the inside for it to work. I’m surprised people didn’t notice we were pretty dry at getting to the QB, then Vea return and we rack up big numbers. Suh is still playing damn fine ball. I’d offer Suh a one year deal.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:10 am
I would have Succup my #1 priority. Really really good kickers don’t grow on trees as the Bucs found out. Next in my order is David, Gronk, Suh, Shaq, Godwin or AB. Lesser names to keep are Minter, Wells & Roches. Don’t know if he’s a FA but also Stinnie.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:18 am
Gotta keep Shaq, Succop, AB, Gronk, LVD. Suh is expendable as is Godwin if we get pinched in negotiations. Playoff Lenny is going to go get paid somewhere else I’m afraid because $10 mill per for a RB is too much. Plus we could probably pick up James White and David Johnson for less than $8 million total.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:27 am
Succup is probably gone, he wants to go back home to Tenn with his young family who he only saw a few times durring the season because of Covid protacols. It would take a big 2 year deal to keep him and that’sunlikly. The titans had bad kicking and he’d be happy to go back cheap. I saw lock up Barrett and sign Gronk cheap and see what happens. Brady can find a good group of vets to sign cheap just like he did last year.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:29 am
I agree with SOEbuc, Shaq was not the same without Vea but still produced his fair share of QB pressures when Vea was out with an injury. I think $15 – $16 million range is reasonable but going any higher is a risk in the salary cap era.
I like Godwin but the jury is still out if he is a #1. I think $20 mil is too much when he was often covered by the second best CB. Godwin is proven to be the best 2nd WR in the league but not given the opportunity to be claimed as the #1 WR. Additionally, for some reason, during the post season, he went from reliable hands to slippery hands. It might be best to let Godwin explore the free market and retain Brown for another year.
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:37 am
In team sports, it is never about one guy. If Brady is being knocked around like Mahomes was or Rodgers because the O line was not doing their job, then the Bucs would not be World Champions. Shaq like any other player is not a team unto himself. Vita and Suh are the pillars of the pass rush from Shaq or JPP or Devin White. It is teamwork that makes the dream work. Again what was being said about Brady? That NE had no weapons and the Bucs do, and we see the difference in Brady this year as opposed to 2019. So it is always about team and how guys play together. We know how Shaq fits, No time to try and fix something that is not broken. This front 7 working together is the foundation of the World Champion Bucs. Tag Shaq and keep this front 7 intact. GO BUCS!!!!!!
February 22nd, 2021 at 10:51 am
Ryan Succop is the one that needs to be a for sure lock.
Cant afford to have another headcase at kicker.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:02 am
Assuming we get decent deals out of Brown, Suh, Succop, & Gronk, here is my priority order:
Shaq (Tag again)
Lavonte
Godwin
Fournette
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:06 am
@TBBF … “The choice is Godwin or 10 of these guys…..Shaq or 12 of these guys”.
I agree with your premise about difficult choices TBBF, but there’s still a LOT of information about the salary CAP that we’re missing at this point. Hard to complete a puzzle if you don’t have all the pieces.
It is interesting though how we all (me included) throw out numbers IN ISOLATION of the BIG PICTURE. Not only don’t we (or anyone) know what the REAL salary CAP number will be, but all of us tend to focus on the Bucs’ situation without looking at it in light of the other 31 teams salary CAP situations. Heck, we don’t even know what the individual FA players motivations are (ie, LVD for instance may be perfectly happy to play here for $10 a year as opposed to going to the Jets for $13 or $14 mil a year; we don’t know what HIS motivation is).
Seems like the only ‘givens’ are players currently under contract, and even that’s not REALLY a given. For instance, Bucs currently have 44 players under contract. I’ll be surprised if any more than 28 of those are on the 53-man roster come Sep. The remaining 25 will most likely include 5 rookies, 18 Bucs’ FAs (re-signed) plus 2 ‘other’ FAs.
Problem is that none of us have a clue at this point how much that 53-man roster will cost. The one thing we do know is that come start of season, it won’t be more than the salary CAP, whatever that amounts to. Still, it’s a fun game to play, as long as everyone accepts the ‘rule’ that we have absolutely no say in the final decisions.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:06 am
I’d hate to lose Godwin, but for years this team spent lavishly on “weapons for Winston” and now the WR & TE [position is beyond filled.
It’s the D who needs to be kept together. Godwin is excellent but can be replaced for a ton less $$$ than what he’d command in either FA or the tag.
I expect a bunch of extensions coming down the pike in the next two weeks. This will be Licht/Greenberg’s most delicate job as a management team. I also expect some surprises to be had. I suspect instructions were given to agents to “go out and see what you can get, but promise to check back with us before committing.”
Had the team failed in their SB quest the dynamics would be entirely different.
I’m more nervous about keeping the team together than I was about past playoff hopes. The bottom line question each FA has to determine: how important is it to you and your career to be part of a possible Two-Time SB Championship team?
This is the ONLY time I can recall I’m all-in to mortgage the future to chase this opportunity.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:12 am
@DR: no doubt Licht will be pitching “legacy vs. money” to the FA’s.
Take David for just one example. No doubt he is on par with Mr. Derrick Brooks as far as impact on this team. If he’s part of a 2nd SB Championship, he has a shot at the HoF and RoH and becomes a community icon. If he takes the money and runs—HIS choice—he becomes “yeah, he was good…while he was here.” Sapp and Lynch did not have a choice, even if they took less $$$.
Legacy vs $$$. One ponders where the +/- line lies.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:20 am
Lenny is our only 3 down back…
Hell 4 down back
Need that dude
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:20 am
DR
I realize we don’t have all the numbers….I’m simply making the point that it’s not just about Shaq, Godwin, Gronk, Succop etc….there are many players needed to be signed.
The cap analysis doesn’t consider how many players you have that are FAs…..
Only you cap room.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:25 am
I believe fans need to take emotion out of it and look at it as a business. The Bucs should let Godwin walk. There is no point in paying 2 receivers top dollars…especially at a position where you can find a replacement very easily. Godwin has played under a 3rd round rookie deal and this maybe his only opportunity to cash in. He already has a ring. Time for Godwin to cash in. Keep in mind the franchise tag isn’t a good option IMO. The entire amount of that tag will be on the 2021 books. Why do that for a position the Bucs are good at?
Shaq will and should break the bank. He’s an undrafted player who has yet to have that lie changing deal. Shaq has 2 rings and he should take the best deal out there. This is also Shaq’s only chance to cash in.
Lavonte David is on the back 9 and I don’t blame him if he cashes out at Miami or Tennessee. This is his last deal.
The Bucs might have to overpay to keep the 3 I mentioned. Free agency is all about overpaying people. I’d prioritize Shaq, because it is so hard to find premium pass rushers on the open market. If Denver knew what they had in Shaq, he would have never left.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:41 am
Lol.
We have @ $20-$30 million to spend.
We currently have 31 players under contract.
We need more than just 3 players plus 7 draft picks.
Say goodbye to Shaq and Godwin.
Anyone else willing to give a hometown Super Bowl discount will sign a one year deal.
February 22nd, 2021 at 12:01 pm
Bucs have the most cap space in the NFL for the 2022.
February 22nd, 2021 at 12:13 pm
If we lose Shaq we have to sign JJ Watt. He still has many sacks left in him.
February 22nd, 2021 at 12:25 pm
He only had five last year, and as far as I know, he was healthy
February 22nd, 2021 at 12:28 pm
One thing the Bucs have never done, is back load contracts. (Is that the correct item for spacing a 4 year contract out many more years?) On the one hand, it looks like mortgaging your future. On the other hand you’re taking advantage of the incredible personnel we have right now, to win another Super Bowl
February 22nd, 2021 at 12:45 pm
All for it!!
People don’t seem to realize how the cap and guaranteed money and roster bonuses etc. work. They absolutely can sign those three.
If Brown gives them that much of a discount, do it. Same with Gronk & SUh. Some of the money will be pushed out to the later years when the cap is going to increase drastically.
February 22nd, 2021 at 1:10 pm
Marine Buc … “We have @ $20-$30 million to spend. We currently have 31 players under contract.”
According to Spotrac, we have 44 players under contract, with $161 mil CAP hit. That’d leave us with between $19-$37 mil (depending up what the REAL salary CAP ends up being. However, a sizable number of those 44 under contract won’t make the team (I’d guess that we’ll keep 28 of them at the most). If you take off the Bottom-16, you now have an additional $11.5 mil to play with (of course, you’ve only got 28 players signed though).
So ASSUMING that the CAP remains at $198 mil, you’ve now got $48.5 mil to sign your remaining 25 players. Release one of your expensive TEs (logically we have no choice IMO) and we pick up another $6 mil, bringing us up to $54.5 mil to play with (make that a clean $54 mil when you subtract the Dead CAP). Of course that means that we’d now only have 27 under contract & need to sign a replacement for that TE.
Unfortunately, included in those 26 players (with $54 mil available) yet to be signed include our own FAs like LVD, Succop, Shaq, Suh, Godwin, Gronk, Nunez-Roches, Gabbert, Griffin, Minter, Brown, Stinnie, Wells … the list goes on & on. Plus our rookie pool of course. Can’t wait to see how this plays out.
February 22nd, 2021 at 1:35 pm
gotta remember, brady is here because he had no weapons in NE…
i think licht brings em all back!!!…lol…
GO BUCS!!!!
February 22nd, 2021 at 1:35 pm
I don’t believe we will hear anything until the league officially states what the cap is, which has to be before the close of franchise/transition tags.
Once that number is announced, it’ll be a frenzy across the NFL, and the available FA picture becomes much more clear.
I suspect Buc management has spreadsheet options for all contingencies, and a lot of contact with agents is happening regarding re-do dealios, extensions, etc.
I also suspect The GOAT has done his share of politicking. At least I hope so.
The Bucs are not alone in wait-and-see.
February 22nd, 2021 at 1:45 pm
Time for backloaded deals, signing bonuses that are amortized over three years, whatever it takes as the future is right now. The league also needs to borrow against the cap in future years to raise the cap this year. A $180M cap isn’t going to get it done for a lot of teams.
February 22nd, 2021 at 1:55 pm
44 players signed with 27 mil in cap space left according to spotrac. You could sign two of the big three (Godwin, Shaq or David) but with no money left and too many holes to fill. The pff tribe needs a course in math.
February 22nd, 2021 at 2:03 pm
@ defense
When I look at our free agent list I count at least 24 players that need to be resigned. The 45 players under contract include a bunch of practice squad type players.
Take a look at the actual free agent that contributed (% of snaps played) and you will see we have @ 24 free agents to sign.
Do you realize we dont have a #2 or #3 QB under contract currently?
We have no kicker. No long snapper.
No back up offensive lineman.
No backup TEs.
Not to mention Shaq, Godwin, Gronk, Suh, David, AB etc…
I’m just being realistic. This PFF article is garbage if you just sit down and do the math…
I hope I’m wrong.
I would love to keep them all. But that is not realistic.
February 22nd, 2021 at 2:06 pm
@TBBF … “The cap analysis doesn’t consider how many players you have that are FAs….. Only your cap room.”
I agree with you 100% TBBF. Went back & looked at Spotrac’s version of how much room each team has. Noticed something that reinforces what you wrote. Bucs are #13 now on the ‘CAP Space (Top-51)’ with $27.8 mil remaining (assuming Spotrac’s $185 mil salary CAP prediction is valid).
That seems like a rather meaningless number though for 1 reason: Bucs are #31 on the list in terms of ‘Signed Players’. We’ve got 44 under contract; only the Falcons with 39 have fewer. In comparison, Colts have 64 under contract (20 more than us) and their ‘CAP Space’ is $54.6 mil (twice what ours is).
Looks like ‘CAP Space’ at this point in the season is relatively meaningless because a ton of adjustments have yet to be made. Saints, for instance, have 58 players under contract & they sit at $259 mil Total CAP (yup, $65 mil OVER already). And if Brees retires, that makes it even worse because then they have no starting QB but still have to pay Drew (they’re in to him for $22.5 mil dead CAP). Way too many Big-$$$ contracts. I wonder if some of those guys might want to come play for the World Champion Bucs?
February 22nd, 2021 at 2:09 pm
Keep the kicker and the defense together that’s Bucs ball! Give Tom Gronk and AB and we go for two. Godwin in likely out and Shaq may be replaced by another free agent like JJ or Miller
February 22nd, 2021 at 2:15 pm
Marine Buc … I think we’re saying roughly the same thing, maybe just in a different way. I see us keeping maybe 27 of the players presently under contract, plus signing 19 of our own FAs, plus adding 5 rookies and 2 non-Buc FAs.
Given the salaries of the starters who we already have under contract, I just can’t see how the Bucs can make the numbers work if the salary CAP even stays at $198 mil, much less if it decreases, with MAJOR adjustments. The only real saving grace is that ALL the other teams have the same problem. I think it’ll create turmoil in the NFL and that’s the last thing that the owners want.
February 22nd, 2021 at 2:27 pm
@ defense
Gotcha. I dont see the cap going above $185 for 2021.
I think they should keep it at last years amount and use it as a bargaining chip for the next labor agreement.
But that is a total unknown factor right now.
TBH I would rather lose Shaq and Godwin and keep everyone else as long as we find a suitable/economical replacement for Shaq…
February 22nd, 2021 at 3:48 pm
I’m with you Marine Buc, but I would rather keep Shaq and give up Fournette, Brown, Griffin, OJ and McCoy. I know you have to replace them, but I think a RB and QB will be on our draft picks and the WR replacement is already on the team. TE replacement is in our FAS to sign. So that’s almost no additional salary
February 22nd, 2021 at 7:09 pm
Let Godwin go, we can cover for him easier than any of the others.
February 22nd, 2021 at 8:23 pm
Shaq didn’t do nothing all year until Big V came into the playoffs he wasn’t even in double digits sacks. JPP was the only one, we can let Shaq go and sign Von Miller to a 1 year he would love to come to Bucs to win a ring. Brady, Mike Evans, and D. Evans could reconstruct their contract to keep everybody.
February 22nd, 2021 at 11:39 pm
Ahhhh another gem from JBF … Keep succop over Brown… I’m no Brown fan I have no respect for the guy … But kickers are off and on! One season they’re unstoppable the next they can’t buy one!! … Another great reason we are lucky JBF is not in charge!! Lol
February 23rd, 2021 at 8:44 pm
Godwin and Succop arent going anywhere…no way!
Shaq will cost too much unless he really works with us….and i dont get that from his comments. He’s chasing a big pay day and i cant blame him…all good. LD54 will be back too.