A Peek Into The 2022 Bucs Season?
February 6th, 2022
“Jason, how can you twist the cap to make this happen?”
No, this is not some boring, boilerplate season preview eight months ahead of time that you could read with your eyes closed.
But hey, Bucs fans can dream, right? And prayers were answered two years ago, remember?
So this week during a practice at the Pro Bowl was a scene that made Joe wonder, Could this be the Bucs this fall? NFC quarterback Russell Wilson was taking a snap from center Ryan Jensen. Then on another play, Wilson hit receiver Mike Evans for a nice gain.
Close your eyes and you can picture this in red jerseys and pewter pants.
Joe has no idea what the Bucs will do for a quarterback. Probably the only ones with an idea are Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians and AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht.
But hey, Bucs fans are allowed to dream, right?
The Pro Bowl is this afternoon at 3 p.m. on BSPN.
Ryan Jensen snaps the ball to Wilson. Next play, Wilson throws a TD pass to Evans with Lattimore in coverageđ§đłđ¤ pic.twitter.com/DqYzIa6LM8
â đ´ââ ď¸Tyđ´ââ ď¸ (@yayareasfinestX) February 5, 2022
February 6th, 2022 at 8:10 am
Russ would be a major coup but at what expense? i read a compelling arguement the other day that pointed to Blaine Gabbert as the next Bucs starting QB. When I started reading I said, “Oh hell no”. By the end of the article I was not so sure. That article made a lot of solid points.
February 6th, 2022 at 8:18 am
Russell Wilson = Super bowl
February 6th, 2022 at 8:22 am
I keep going back to what Arians said about Blaine being a highly underrated qb…
How much can one trust what he says… Blaine has been in this offenses long as lefty so he should know it just as well BUT can he execute it effectively?
February 6th, 2022 at 8:27 am
Yeah, go overpay for Wilson and create a Seattle South.
With Bradyâs cap hit and Wilsonâs outrageous salary there will be nothing left on the table.
And who wants to come for dinner when the chef serves up a heap of scraps to all but one diner?
Iâd rather build around Trask than demolish around Wilson âŚ
We already gave up on a drafted kicker because he was not given a fair chance. Wonder how he felt when he kicked the FG that ended our season?
Give Trask a chance. If nothing else it makes financial sense, at least in the short term.
February 6th, 2022 at 8:28 am
Gabbert????? lol We have seen him come in and it has been uninspiring to say the least.
You can do whatever with stats to say many things, but he just does not pass the eye test lol.
Gabbert= NO SUPER BOWL.
If by some miracle Russ begins his cooking show in Tampa, that would be just fine. Do not see it happening but would be ok with me.
GO BUCS!!!!!!
February 6th, 2022 at 8:29 am
No way Wilson, he and his wife just opened their first retail store in Seattle. That being said to oneilbucyall, Anonymous, Bucs1987, Swamparse, August, Whinytestyhurty, Cricket, DR, Tampaxfan, Jimmyjackoff Ben (laughable NFL player) Green, SB, and the rest of you die hard Bucs fans, like TB12 and soon to be Gronk, Jensen, Godwin, JPP, Suh it is time to ride off into the sunset and follow the next winning franchise. Maybe the 49ers have a site I can troll on for I truly believe Brady will emerge as a 49er to complete his NFL career. Good luck with your overrated coaches and even if you do get Wilson, he isn’t the guy that will score 30 points a game to bail out Bowles shatty D. My prediction without Wilson, 7-10, with 10-7. Either way the Bucs are back to a 20000 fan base and a lot of empty seats. Even though Bradys arrival was a win of epic proportion what he leaves behind are expectations that can’t be matched which in turn leads to disappointment and disinterest. Adios Suckers it’s back to the bottom. Mark my words BA, BL and Bowles will be exposed if they haven’t been already!
February 6th, 2022 at 8:49 am
Listnfrmafar why are you here? Seems to me you should be cutting Bradyâs grass, shining his shoes or some other task reflective of the man crush you continually spout. Many of us here were Bucs fans long before Brady and while we respect his contribution to the franchise we will still be Bucs fans long after he does whatever. Unlike you we wonât go harass fans of whatever team he goes to. I suppose if you know nothing about football, and have no real interest in any team other than you worship a man who does not even know you exist, you are on the right path. But it seems to me now that your boy is gone you are on the wrong site
February 6th, 2022 at 8:49 am
We have a brutal schedule….but still have a shot at the division…..I haven’t checked ATL,CLT, NO schedules….but they should be similar to ours……and, they have to play us twice….so their schedules are tough also.
10 games should win the division…..I’m not very confident we can do much in the playoffs without a top-tier QB.
February 6th, 2022 at 8:50 am
@Listnfrmafar if you are really just a troll because of Brady you are a loser lol. He’s the undisputed GOAT and the ultimate team winner. I feel bad for you if you are really hoping he comes out of retirement just so you can troll again. It must of been hard for you watching this man win a superbowl in 3 different decades. I hope you find a more productive hobby while Brady enjoys his well deserved retirement
February 6th, 2022 at 8:55 am
Wilson in BAs scheme?
February 6th, 2022 at 8:56 am
Love Wilson , bt realistically Deshaun or Trask!
GoBucs!
February 6th, 2022 at 8:59 am
Itâs pretty simple.
Trask/GabbertâŚ
Re-sign:
Godwin
Davis
Gabbert
Fournette
Jenson
Whitehead
Stinnie
Wells
We will not be able to trade for a QB and pay them @ $30 million while also bringing back our key free agents.
I donât care what you people say. Some of you need to go on over the cap dot com and actually study our cap situation and the contracts we already have on hand.
Most of our higher paid players already have two voidable years included. How many voidable years are you willing to pay a player that is already past 30 years old?
February 6th, 2022 at 9:02 am
Give up the whole draft to get Wilson
February 6th, 2022 at 9:16 am
Ciara and Russell Wilson have opened their first in-person shop for their fashion company, The House Of LR&C. Based in their current hometown of Seattle, the brick-and-mortar displays and sells items from their three brands: Good Man Brand, LITA by Ciara, and its gender-neutral line, Human Nation, reports Womenâs Wear Daily.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I care too much for y’all to see you get your hopes up.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:16 am
Gabbert is a free agent people. Is he going to want qb1 money? If so, at what cost?
February 6th, 2022 at 9:22 am
Brady contract will be renegotiated down to 1.075 million saving over 23 mil. Trading number 1 and 2 draft picks saves as well. Bucs window of opportunity is 2-3 years and Russ put on a compelling audition in skills competition-Russ is deadly accurate. Wilson has the mobility that Brady did not, so he very well may be more lethal in the Arians’ offense. Franchise Jensen and you are good to go for another Superbowl NOW.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:26 am
@ Gobucsfan
Yes. Gabbert is a free agent. He will not be paid “starters money”. He made $2 million last season.
He will compete with Trask for the starting job.
More than likely he will sign a deal with a low salary and incentive bonuses that would pay him close to starters money if he is able to start all 17 games and plays well…
February 6th, 2022 at 9:31 am
People who want gabbert/ trask are clueless. Fitzmagic is much better than those guys, but why the f would you want that literally in BA offense theyâll be throwing 20-30+ ints
February 6th, 2022 at 9:32 am
Do you really think BA will return to coach a neophyte like Trask or a never was like Gabbert?? BA wants to win NOW as he is want to retire in a year or two. In BA’s perfect world-Bucs’ get Russ and win the big game next year and BA rides off into the sunset to spend more time with his Mom while she is still around.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:33 am
Forget Wilson, Watson, Rodgers…..
Pray for Andrew Luck to come out of retirement…..
February 6th, 2022 at 9:35 am
Since we heard how good our coaches are…. Articles like this keeps my doubt justified. How about develop a QB and turn him into a winner? Coaches do your job and stop looking at QBs that has zero chance of coming here
February 6th, 2022 at 9:39 am
@ TBBF
I would be fine with giving Luck a shot.
However – the Colts still own his NFL rights. We would still have to trade draft picks in order to sign Luck.
Then – my question is – how much will Luck want to play for the Bucs? Probably in the $30-$35 million range.
We might as well just go after Wilson or Rodgers at this point…
February 6th, 2022 at 9:40 am
Russell Wilson 37 to 40 mil cap hit forget it!
February 6th, 2022 at 9:41 am
Russell Wilson when it comes to money he is not team friendly.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:43 am
Madden franchise mode lol. Just because a player can be traded it does not mean itâs that simple. Russ is a pipe dream but go ahead nothing wrong with wishing just donât want to hear the whining when it doesnât happen.
The only reason Brady was an option is because he didnât want the astronomical salary like rodgers or Wilson
February 6th, 2022 at 9:51 am
Listnfrmafar troll.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:53 am
The REAL QUESTION is do BA and the Bucs want to win another Super Bowl NOW?? The answer is a resounding YES. Cap is not a issue. Licht is not the capologist-Mike Greenberg is the guy that figures out how to make it all work on the cap after Licht tells him who he wants to sign , keep , and discard. Mike Greenberg has been doing the Cap math since 2014 and he is very good at it.
February 6th, 2022 at 10:02 am
Russell Wilson to the Bucs sounds nice, but at what cost? Several 1st Round picks (think Stafford to the Rams) and lack of cap space to resign several important players. I donât know what the answer is at QB for the Bucs, but I give this less than 5% chance of happening.
The reality of Andrew Luck: Heâs lost 50 or 60 pounds since his playing days (a Colts fan told me he weighs 170 now) and by all accounts heâs happy to be retired from the NFL.
February 6th, 2022 at 10:18 am
This is what we call stinking thinking. Assuming that the Seahawks would even trade within the conference, it would cost at minimum 3 first round picks plus a couple lower round picks. Then tack on his already ridiculous salary (not to mention he will want a new contract) and we don’t have money to sign our own free agents. (It would be the same for Aaron Rodgers) Now we have no money and no draft picks. Not going to happen.
February 6th, 2022 at 10:19 am
Instead of thinking about cost , think about reward. So you kick the can down the road a few years , salary cap will increase dramatically next year as revenues will increase dramatically in 2022. Vegas has the Bucs as the 9th longest shot to win Superbowl at 20-1 after Brady retirement , add Russ and Bucs become The favorite to win it all NOW. It is always less expensive to deal with a known quantity (i,e, Wilson) than an unknown. Russ will want to come here after getting to know Evans and Jensen better. Reworking Brady contract and Russ’ deal will save tons on cap. Russ wants to win NOW and BA wants to win NOW. This deal could easily happen.
February 6th, 2022 at 10:32 am
@ Bucsfansince76
I understand the point you are trying to make.
All I can say is go to over the cap dot com and spend a little time researching. Everyone needs to understand. We have already kicked the cap can several times down the road.
We have several contracts that can be restructured but not as many as you might think.
S. Barrett and LVD are on the wrong side of 30. Mike Evans already has two void years that will pay him @ $5 million as he is a free agent and 32 years old.
Marpet and Smith can be restructured but at most we can probably squeeze another $15-$20 million out of the high priced players contacts we have on the books.
That will give us @ $30-$35 million total to work with…
Even if we cut Cam Brate, Succop and Pinnion that will only add @ $8 million in cap then we have no punter or TE’s.
There are no easy answers this season.
February 6th, 2022 at 10:41 am
When Brady restructures at 1.075 mil for upcoming year that is over 23 mil there. Trading number 1 and 2 Draft picks is another 4 , Brate is gone and we keep Tanner Hudson and save another 4. Rework RW deal and defer as much as possible saving another 10. That is 41 mil right there,
February 6th, 2022 at 10:42 am
The addition of RW and resigning most of the free agents would field a divisional winner and super bowl contender!!!!!
February 6th, 2022 at 10:57 am
@ Bucsfansince1976
“When Brady restructures at $1.075 mil”
Where did you get this information?
Point #2 – Even if the Bucs have $40 million
Godwin, Jenson, Davis, Whitehead – that eats up $30-$40 million.
Now what? What about the draft? We will need another $6-$7 million.
What about the other 20 free agents? Gabbert, Fournette, Jones, Bernard, Cappa, Stinnie, Wells, JPP, Suh, Gholston, O’Connor, Minter, Delaney and Adams?
Sorry but I just don’t see how this works.
February 6th, 2022 at 11:00 am
ListenFromMaâsCar coming off extra tuff & stuff this Sunday. Maybe his Mom is at church and he has her basement to himself.
Thanks to him for the update from Teen People regarding soft/pop icon Ciara and Russellâs clothing boutique. This ListenFromMaâsCar/Bqweef Greenâs biach/Dedicated Repeat sure is a real dandy talking fashion on a football site. Not that thereâs anything wrong with thatâŚ
But I agree with the lilâ duffer that Wilson isnât coming to Tampa. Seattle would never trade him to a true NFC competitor.
February 6th, 2022 at 11:06 am
Forgot where I read it, but of they keep Brady on the roster until June 4, his cap hit goes down tons
February 6th, 2022 at 11:09 am
See Drew Brees restructure that he did for the following year after his retirement and you will understand.
So many of the players you mentioned are decent , but not relevant necessities for going all the way , unlike a QB and Oline that are a necessity.
February 6th, 2022 at 11:11 am
(Accidentally hit submit, wish we could edit posts Joe!)
Outside of Wilson, Rodgers, (BA was THOROUGHLY pissed at Fitz by the end of his time here) I simply don’t see any options outside of Trask/Gabbert that would improve us. I look at Jimmy G like Steve Deberg–serviceable, will never get us to the show
February 6th, 2022 at 11:13 am
I donât worry about the cap, if a team wants a player, they will find a way to fit him in. Itâs the draft picks that I worry about. If Seahawks donât care about trading in conference, as Detroit did, then go for it. Wilson would give us our best shot at staying relevant.
February 6th, 2022 at 11:26 am
@ bucsfansince76
OK. So there is no indication that Brady will restructure… That is a big “IF”.
Point #2:
“so many of the players you mentioned are decent , but not relevant necessities for going all the way , unlike a QB and Oline that are a necessity.”
Gotcha. So we should only have a 40 man roster?
LOL!!!
Please – before we continue this chat go check out Over the Cap dot com…
February 6th, 2022 at 11:51 am
all of our draft picks for this year and next and all of our money for a quarterback that will get injured promptly after a game or 2. no thanks
February 6th, 2022 at 11:57 am
Beeej… “I look at Jimmy G like Steve Debergâserviceable, will never get us to the show”
Steve Deberg was way more durable then Jimmy G, that is a big part of his being let go, not just his bad 4th Qtr in the Super Bowl and a bad 4th Qtr in the NFC Title game against the Rams.
Jimmy G has spent so much of his time in SF injured, it just frustrates everyone involved on the 49ers.
I agree about Jimmy ‘Brittle Boy’ G, he is not the answer
GO BUCS!!!
February 6th, 2022 at 12:24 pm
I loved Steve, watched him play a few times (back then you could get end zone seats for like $10) but you could usually count on him to make a poor decision at crunch time
February 6th, 2022 at 12:28 pm
Winston is the answer believe it or not but Is this coach able to get him back and no I’m not a weird Winston fan at all.. actually the opposite..
I’m just thinking bang for the buck…he still going to be cheapnand the best cheap qb on the market
February 6th, 2022 at 1:06 pm
Joes —
Russ is my favorite “fantasy pick” but
a.) Seattle would want too much in trade, and
b.) Wilson has showed that he will maximize his own contract at the exoense of being able to afford other good players.
The only true answer is, take Shaun King up on his idea to get the “Come Back Tom” campaign going in full throat…..for this year, the last year of Tom’s contract — not next. Now someone other than King needs to get that going, and somebody immediately needs to somehow get Tom’s horsefaced commandant sedated and neutralized so she doesn’t object too strenuously.
Going from Brady to anyone who is a free agent and available is such a huge step down, there’s no way the Bucs win more than they lose in 2022.
We thought maybe we could count on the defense. Oops. See Rams game, final 42 seconds.
Thanks, Todd.
February 6th, 2022 at 2:27 pm
If the Bucs were to trade for Russ, the draft picks and cap space used to obtain him would make it necessary for Bowles to blitz on every play, until heâs replaced with the Smith Brothers (Lovie & Mike) as Co-DCâs (Lovie in charge of defending the slant pass, Mike in charge of making sure all the DBâs are 15 yards off on 3rd and 8).
February 6th, 2022 at 2:38 pm
Marine Buc … Liked your 8:59 AM post, a lot, with one exception: re-signing Davis. I gave up trying to play GM when it comes to ‘massaging’ the salary CAP, but despite that I still can’t see any way to sign Godwin (for close to $20 mil) AND Davis (also for close to $20 mil) AND still fill all the other positions that we NEED to fill with quality players to be competitive. And that’s ASSUMING that we roll with Trask & Gabbert (i.e., VERY inexpensive QBs).
The rest are doable IMO, although any talk of ‘restructuring’ Brady’s remaining $32 mil is kinda silly (what’s HIS incentive to do that; he’s retired?). Bucs might as well just bite the bullet in 2022 & 2023 and be done with it. We can afford to do that if we run with Trask & Gabbert.
Another part of our salary CAP dilemma is that Brady’s just one of the hits ($9.1 mil) we’ll be taking in 2022. Those ‘voidable contracts’ you mentioned represent money that we STILL owe Suh ($6.8 mil) and Gronk ($5.0 mil) FROM 2021. Right now they’re BOTH FAs & IF either (or both) re-signs with us, that’d be money on top of what we still owe them.
Another fun fact is that we also owe $3.5 mil in Dead CAP money this year, for players no longer with us. The vast majority of that is the $3.3 mil CAP hit that we’ll be taking in 2022 for (guess who?) Antonio Brown. No negotiating that either.
February 6th, 2022 at 2:52 pm
Wilson equals a #37 million dollar cap hit this year and a $40 million dollar hit in 2023.
February 6th, 2022 at 3:35 pm
@ Defensive Rules
I agree. It’s probably far fetched to assume we bring back both Godwin and Davis but I was hopeful that maybe Godwin would be willing to work a team friendly deal and push some guaranteed money into years 2,3 and 4 and allow for us to lower his salary to @ $2-$3 million like we did LVD last season…
Godwin is coming of a major knee injury and I believe he wants to stay with the crew in Tampa. Plus he just made @ $16 million this past season. It’s not like he is broke…
February 6th, 2022 at 5:49 pm
Marine Buc. All good to what you are saying about the CAP. But can you at least say to us that if somehow the Bucs are able to sign or trade for a 20M+ QB and bring back key free agents then you will spare us in the future your fears over CAP math?
I am not saying you are right or wrong. I dont know. But I am saying Im very hesitant to believe the situation is as dire as you are saying………Mainly because last year many fans said basically the same thing and we saw that whatever math they used meant absolutely nothing and the Bucs brought back everyone.
Couple that with the fact that rumors everywhere and saying Bucs are likely to go after a big name QB and continue competing. We are not hearing the same worry about CAP, its really only coming from a few fans……………Again not saying you are wrong here. Just saying Im willing to let the situation play out and if we see the team sign a bunch of high salary players I think its time to admitt looking at salary CAP websites has almost nothing to do with reality(not your fault.)
February 6th, 2022 at 6:43 pm
To me we should go after Jimmy Garopolo. He would fit in great all around with the Bucs and a good addition. If he can step up and continue to develop his game we would have an experienced QB along with the growth of Kyle Trask to have him to mix into the games with certain plays to get his feet wet like they did in SF with their young QB. I think it’s a no-brainer and makes perfect sense ..GO BUCS!!
February 6th, 2022 at 6:43 pm
I said it somewhere else and Iâll say it again. I would LOVE Wilson but Iâm pretty sure his contract is a ridiculous amount (40+ mil?) and is a big reason why Seattle canât afford to surround him with talent anymore.
On a sidenote I watched the pro bowl for about five minutes and had to turn it off. I havenât watched in a decade because they barely tackle but now they play two hand touch?!?!?!?
When did that happen? They shouldnât even bother with the game anymore just have an award ceremony.
February 6th, 2022 at 7:27 pm
Maybe if we bring back Steve Young & sign Joe Montana Brady will keep playing. Since he watched both of them when he was younger. I’m sure he’d definitely be thrilled to sit on the same sidelines with them. It might work. I’m sure even now Young & Montana would be more reliable than Gabbert.
February 6th, 2022 at 8:14 pm
@swampbuc
Maybe someone should cut your tongue iut and fingers igg for the way you talk about a mans wifr.
February 6th, 2022 at 9:22 pm
Hilarious. People who have no clue about the cap are trying to talk about the cap.
Godwin is a FA and we are most likely going to franchise him…again.
The can has already been kicked already. We are out of coupons and no QB.
Wake the F up people. Too many ppl still in stage 1…denial.
February 7th, 2022 at 9:39 am
Listnfrmafar…..oneilbucyall, Anonymous, Bucs1987, Swamparse, August, Whinytestyhurty, Cricket, DR, Tampaxfan, Jimmyjackoff Ben (laughable NFL player) Green, SB, and the rest of you die hard Bucs fans,
Now List this is something I agree with that you have posted.
Yes we are Die Hard Bucs fans. And glad to be.
And BTW the Bucs have 2 Lombardis at 1 Buc Palace, which is more than most teams.
GO BUCS!!!!!
February 7th, 2022 at 9:45 am
1 addendum, Ben Green is A Pats Fan not a Buc Die Hard. Nothing wrong with being a fan of any team. Just correcting my copy and paste from List’s post.
GO BUCS!!!!!