The Free Agency Dinner Bell Rings At Noon
March 15th, 2021
Happy New Year!
Sort of.
Today is the annual happening usually looked to by Bucs fans as the day the franchise will be saved by high-priced, well-placed free agents from other teams.
You remember the names and years. In 2012, it was Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright. Two years later came Clinton McDonald, Michael Johnson, Anthony Collins, Josh McCown, Alterraun Verner and Brandon Myers.
The 2015 fun brought a flurry of washed out ex-Bears. And in 2017, it was DeSean Jackson, Nick Folk, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Chris “Swaggy” Baker to the rescue.
Joe could dive deeper into the free agency history but will spare innocent Bucs fans still celebrating the greatest run in franchise history.
This year, the Bucs do not need a savior in free agency. And it feels so good. Theirs finally arrived last year from New England.
Now the Bucs just need to save their own, with sacks king Shaq Barrett as Priority 1, and Ryan Succop and Ndamukong Suh two notches down the ladder.
At noon today, the NFL tampering period opens, a 48-hour window in which player agents can negotiate new contracts with team front offices of their choosing (but not coaches). It’s mostly a sham. The parameters of deals have been discussed, and by 3 p.m. a flurry of deals will be announced, ones that will be made official when the new NFL league year begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
Wednesday also is when teams can resume trading players, and the deadline for teams to submit tenders on restricted free agents. (Will the Bucs slap one on Super Bowl right guard Aaron Stinnie?).
Of course, the giant key here is to get Shaq to ink a deal before noon. Make it happen, Team Glazer!
Yes, you Team Glazer. If Shaq is on the fence, then commit a million to Shaq’s foundation if you have to. Build the guy a statue. Give his family members jobs. Donate to his church. Get him an endorsement deal with one of your sponsors. No excuses.
March 15th, 2021 at 12:07 am
Shaq – Suh – Succop – Gronkamoli – AB Sign right here on the dotted line. GO BUCS!!!!
March 15th, 2021 at 12:14 am
Succoup is no. 1 Sun 2 and SB 3
March 15th, 2021 at 12:15 am
Suh
March 15th, 2021 at 12:31 am
Gronk…its already a given, so is Suh and Succop…..the others remains to be seen…
March 15th, 2021 at 12:35 am
Sign friendly this 1 year and BEAST the nfl on a back to back SB win please….money cant buy this, its real fkn simple!!!!
money is money, fk money
March 15th, 2021 at 12:38 am
Let me fix your list.
1- suh
2-succop
3-aB
4-gronk
5. Shaq
There !
@Joe
Now the Bucs just need to save their own, with sacks king Shaq Barrett as Priority 1, with Ryan Succop and Ndamukong Suh two notches down the ladder.
March 15th, 2021 at 12:41 am
Adrnagy:
You and Joe are close.
Shaq, Succop, Suh, Gronk, AB.
Shaq’s the most important player on the defense, sorry. Succop finally solved the kicking problem. Don’t let him go. Suh is probably replaceable but Joe does like him. Gronk is much more than a tight end. He helped so much with his blocking. AB? Replaceable but he was certainly effective.
March 15th, 2021 at 1:10 am
Shaq Barrett is the only name i wanna hear this week. Bucs can take their time re-signing the others. Trade OJ
March 15th, 2021 at 1:16 am
Shaq, Succop, Suh, Gronk, AB. Yep thats the right list. Championships baby, not penny pinching GO BUCS!!!
March 15th, 2021 at 1:29 am
1995 – Bucs sign Alvin Harper!
2004 – The “cap hell” Bucs that can’t afford to keep Sapp and Lynch sign Charlie Garner to a big deal (along with every injured mid-30s offensive lineman they can find)
March 15th, 2021 at 1:44 am
58>93>28>3>87>81 I would prefer to keep 28 over 81 but if we lose 58 we better keep both
March 15th, 2021 at 1:46 am
Tender 64
March 15th, 2021 at 1:58 am
Shaq, Succop, Gronk AB is my list
March 15th, 2021 at 2:19 am
Suh was arguably the most dominant defensive lineman in college history. He’s been a beast in the NFL every year. We jettisoned GMC for Suh and culture changed.
Shaq was undrafted. He did nothing until the Bucs.
Succup … remember our kicking game for the past 5 years pre-Succup?
Gronk is TB12 safety blanket.
#1 – Sign Suh.
#2 – Succup
#3 – Gronk
#4 – Shaq
March 15th, 2021 at 2:34 am
1. Shaq – pay the man. We’ve been searching the abyss for almost a decade for a competent DE, since Bennett walked out ‘for no good reason.’ You got away w paying him $4 mil when he lead the league in sacks. Consider what you may have to overpay as “back taxes” for services already rendered. He’s a good dude, and it’s always good to show the rest of your locker room that if you play well, the team will compensate you. I trust opening up the bank for a guy like 58.
2. Suh – this dude has been a tone-setter since he came in. It’s no coincidence opponent’s offenses are forced to be 1-dimensional, unable to run anywhere up the middle. I think he’s instrumental to this defense and their ferocity + I want him next to Vea for another year. He wants to be here, sign him.
3. Gronk – I know he wants to be here too, so show him the priority he deserves. He’s a top-tier TE + extra blocking OT that is an important safety net for your QB, during a shrinking Super Bowl window.
4. Succop – Finally solved the kicking woes. But I don’t think it’s a coincidence he had a career year the same year Brady walked into the locker room. The goat causes everyone to be more accountable (check out how Goskowski did this year). Don’t strap yourself to a 3+ year deal and over pay a veteran kicker. There’s too many of them out there.
5. AB – no one out there is paying him big money
March 15th, 2021 at 2:40 am
Shaq- Succop-Suh-Gronk-AB That’s the Fab 5 for keeping their own. SUPER BOWL or bust GO BUCS!!!
March 15th, 2021 at 2:46 am
No
March 15th, 2021 at 2:56 am
Yep thats the right list. Championships baby, not penny pinching GO BUCS!!!
March 15th, 2021 at 3:12 am
Since 1976 the 2 windows for the Bucs were 1979-1982 and 1997-2003. 2005 and 2007 were playoff years but not a window for the team. This is really only the 3rd window for this team in their 44year history. It is time to go all out. No time to mess around. The Saints window just closed for the foreseeable future. Strike while the iron is hot. Throughout the history of sports, teams make runs. No one stays on top, that is just how it is. So when you have the wherewithal to make the run, you go for the jugular. KEEP the dominate front 7 intact, and sign Succop. This is the Bucs time to dominate the NFL, no time to screw around. Bring back the big Shaq attack. GO BUCS!!!!!
March 15th, 2021 at 4:43 am
Why does everyone want to trade OJ? Do you remember how good he was starting to look in the offense? Imagine a in shape gronk mentoring young beast OJ. And both on the field at the same time.
March 15th, 2021 at 5:14 am
Trade OJ? He makes too many mistakes, drops too many blogs and is an average blocker. Not worth $6M. How many times has he been hurt/missed games in 4 years?
Very few players get hurt multiple times over 4 years and then have 10 Yeats of good health.
March 15th, 2021 at 6:52 am
Proofread….Their’s