Winner Of Free Agency: Bucs
March 26th, 2021
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
You’ve heard the story before: Teams who win in free agency lose during the season.
That’s not correct 100 percent of the time but it is often the case. But what is a lousy team supposed to do? Stand there and just suck, and not try to get better? That’s pretty dumb.
Jim Trotter of NFL.com seems to think winning free agency is looked at through the wrong prism. He believes teams that keep good players win free agency. So in that light, he deems the Bucs winners of Free Agency 2021.
For me, the winners in free agency are not the clubs that go out and spend a lot of money — unless that money brings in a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback like Tom Brady (the Bucs ranked fifth in free agency guaranteed dollars last offseason after signing Brady, with their nearly $63 million falling roughly $84 million behind the Dolphins). My winners are those that either strike strategically, finding bargains after the initial wave of big-money spending, or use their capital to re-sign their own frontline players, as Tampa Bay and San Francisco have done.
Unfortunately, Joe didn’t snap a photo of the following: Joe noticed a graphic on a TV in a public spot showing Super Bowl teams that brought back at least 20 starters, but none repeated as champs.
Joe thinks the Bucs are a bit different. First, of course, is park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, waffle-grilling, trophy-throwing, Bucs-Super-Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady. Perhaps you can end right there.
But another part of why the Bucs may be different is that they had so many young players. Are we really to believe that Tristian Wirfs and Antoine Winfield, rookie starters, won’t improve? Are we really to believe that Brady won’t have a better rapport with his receivers than he did last year?
Shoot, Joe remembers hearing Bucs quarterback coach Clyde Christensen say the Bucs were eight games from peaking on offense.
Just look how everything clicked after the bye week. That suggests to Joe the Bucs have not plateaued.
March 26th, 2021 at 10:15 am
The D was relatively healthy at the end of last year- and that’s the main reason they won SB. Early draft picks should focus on Defensive secondary, DLine and OLine , or possibly a receiver if they don’t sign AB.
March 26th, 2021 at 10:27 am
Bucs dispelled that myth last year.
March 26th, 2021 at 10:36 am
One thing for sure is we don’t go in to the season hoping we will be good. We will be good, question is how good.
March 26th, 2021 at 10:42 am
Lots of reason for this optimism. Looking forward.
March 26th, 2021 at 10:46 am
Seeing this…
“…is park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, waffle-grilling, trophy-throwing, Bucs-Super-Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady.”
…is truly getting OLD. It’s not that it’s not funny the first million times ,but after a million and one, it’s no longer funny it’s a nuisance.
March 26th, 2021 at 10:50 am
We are keeping our team relatively intact. Barring injuries we have a very strong team for next year. I don’t even know if a rookie can crack the starting lineup, which gives us great options in the draft. Of course a Brady protégé would be ideal to learn from the GOAT.
March 26th, 2021 at 10:52 am
Licht just did his most relaxed, best interview ever on NFL Radio w/ Charlie Weis. Jason didn’t seem panicked or like he was about to have an anxiety attack at all
March 26th, 2021 at 10:56 am
Jerry, Joe made it clear he is a moniker guy. So – love it or hate it – they won’t go away. In the end, the only thing, that is more tiresome than Joe’s monikers are the guys complaining about it.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:03 am
Jerry R Jones is right. I’m so sick and tired of seeing that crap about TB. It got old real quick & it is annoying & frankly downright stupid. Another thing, don’t forget Mike Greenberg had a lot to do with all the FA signings as much as Licht.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:05 am
“Forget last season” is the first thing Brady says day one. Not only will a lot of the young guys improve, the older all star vets have the ability to stay focused and grind every week for the W and not going back to back.
Not to say everyone doesn’t want it, but it is a new season which means anything can happen.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:14 am
Last year the Bucs had the best team on paper. This year the Bucs have the best team on record. The fact that we have last year’s team intact – minus AB and Lenny, we should be better due to players having a better understanding of the system and new draft picks supplementing as quality backups.
It is hard for me to imagine any draft picks winning a starting position with so much talent we have.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:32 am
I always think back to that 2002-03 team that brought back almost the whole defense and offense but went 8-8 and missed the playoffs.
March 26th, 2021 at 11:48 am
Just like they did to KC, another beatdown by the Bucs in free agency. Let the good times roll baby, It is a Bucs world in 2021, get used to it. lol The lost decade of a the Bucs being slow burn dumpster fire is a distant memory. GO BUCS!!!!!
March 26th, 2021 at 11:49 am
They went 7-9, actually. :/
March 26th, 2021 at 12:01 pm
JerryJones: the Joe’s have said repeatedly this is their site and they’ll run it however the he!! they want. They’ve also said it’s for sale, so buy it and run it however the he!! you want.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:11 pm
playoff Lenny back one year deal
March 26th, 2021 at 12:14 pm
1 year 3.25//4 with incentive
March 26th, 2021 at 12:25 pm
German Buc is right about the monikers.
I’ll add, they are like a trademark for Joe.
March 26th, 2021 at 1:52 pm
Tom Brady has been there before, but this time he has a team like he’s never had before filled with quality players on both sides of the ball. Then, of course, No team has had a T. B. who’s been there, done it and seen it all. It’s all about a positive mindset and Tom Brady has written the book on that issue.
March 26th, 2021 at 2:24 pm
If the Bucs had Trent Dilfer at quarterback heading into 2021, they would still be super bowl contenders considering the talent at the starting positions, sustenance at the backup rolls, coaches and management all on the same page. But wait, we really have the greatest quarterback the league has ever seen, that does nothing but inject an ubiquitous winning culture throughout the organization. Has anyone ever mentioned the screaming fans that will provide a 12th man on the field during home games. Nothing can best this team save a slew of injuries to several key players.
March 26th, 2021 at 3:46 pm
Jerry, Tom, German Buc – you guys need to chill. Many others have admonished one Joe (the other Joe refrains from the usage) for his repeated use of monikers for TB, Gronk, AB, etc. It’s his trademark, and he’s not likely to give it up. He finally gave up the Den of Depression for the Buc’s Stadium after they won 5 home games last year. And then he just slapped another one on the stadium, the stadium on Dale Mabry Ave. Just accept this annoying idiosyncrasy and skip to the meat of his articles. There’s always a lot of good insight and nuggets of info to digest if you just bypass the unnecessary descriptors.
March 26th, 2021 at 7:20 pm
I agree your introduction to Tom Brady is anal and I will no longer read your information, grow up or else you are are insecure
March 26th, 2021 at 8:06 pm
I’m all in for Joe ,at minimum, to cut out all those adjectives in front of Tom Brady’s name. I can live with the rest of the players monikers as they are relatively short and sweet. Those 10 adjectives are 9 too many for me. I know “that’s just Joe”, but he doesn’t have to drive me crazy. I love Joe otherwise.