Bucs Cap Room Currently Sits At $3 Million, Which Means They Have No Cap Room
March 14th, 2022
Bucs GM Jason Licht
The amateur capologists have been compiling the data and have determined the state of the Buccaneers’ salary cap is grim (as of 11 a.m. on Monday).
The Bucs have $3 million in available salary cap room. They’ll need more than that just to pay their draft class, and certainly they’ll need about that much in reserves to cover inevitable injuries in-season.
So where will the Bucs get the cash — in a hurry — so they can keep starters from bailing in free agency as early as this afternoon?
Target No. 1 is inking Chris Godwin to a long-term deal so Tampa Bay can free up most of his $19 million salary (and cap hit) for 2022. Then there’s Tom Brady signing a new contract, also hopefully a long-term deal. Brady’s cap hit in 2022 is about $20 million. If the Bucs can cut the 2022 cap charge on both those players in half, then they probably could bring back Rob Gronkowski, Playoff Lenny and Alex Cappa.
That might be the end of the line on re-signing free agents, but the Bucs could squeeze even more cap space by kicking the can down the road with Donovan Smith and Shaq Barrett.
Of course, players must agree to do that — and the Bucs have to be willing to care next to nothing about their 2023 cap situation.
It will be very interesting to see what Brady is willing to do with his pay — and his rights for 2023 and beyond.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:22 am
Shaq, Evans, David, Donovan, can be reworked without impacting their career earning. And paying them more cash today.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:23 am
This could get dangerous for 2023….I understand this culture but don’t necessarily agree with….
March 14th, 2022 at 11:24 am
Gronk is currently carrying dead money which can be pushed out so his true cost is likely only a few million if anything since you could just push his new contract out similar to the old one
March 14th, 2022 at 11:24 am
they have no cap but they can create tons of cap out of thin air via restructures. shouldnt be too much of an issue. A ton of players are in a good spot for restructures, brate has to accept a paycut or be cut, brady needs an extra year tacked on to do some cap wizardry. After this long you just have to trust that with Mike Greenberg we’re in good Cap hands.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:26 am
You bet your arse he is adding a new release clause to it.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:29 am
C’mon JL, legal tampering (that term cracks me up, like legal underage drinking) starts in 32 minutes.
Show us some results! I’m still drunk about Brady and Jensen too, but I’m not a GM. I just play one on TV.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:29 am
Licht has plenty of opportunities to make room. I’m pretty sure Jason has had the conversations already and will pull the triggers as he needs to.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:29 am
If you’re gonna go all-in, go all-in with Brady at QB.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:29 am
This is the future of the NFL. Go all in with a QB, postpone the problem to the future. Saints, bucs, Rams, Packers all did it. If you win a ring, it’s worth it.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:31 am
restructures incoming
March 14th, 2022 at 11:32 am
The Saints found a way to clear @ $70 million of cap by restructuring 4-5 deals.
The Bucs can do the same… Evans, Barrett, Smith, Godwin, LVD and Brady can all restructure and give us plenty of cap space.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:32 am
We went through this last year and almost every day Licht found more cap space
I do think this year will be more difficult because of last year….sooner or later you have to pay the piper.
2023 could be that year…..but if Brady returns again, all things are possible.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:33 am
Brate, Pinion and Succop could also be cut or restructured as well.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:36 am
Sick about hearing about the cap. It can be manipulated. Look at what the packers are doing. First and foremost they need to come up with a contract for godwin. Godwin has to be a team player here.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:37 am
It will be a glorious day in BucLandia when the caudillo Pat’s fans, who allegedly know Everything About “Tom” and “Bill”*, leave the JBF lounge and make a slug trail back to that s#!thole known as Boston.
*But they have proven they don’t know crap.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:38 am
@Marine Buc
Yes, Saints have had the worst cap situation for years, but they keep their stars and paid a top 5 QB huge money for a decade. The cap is not hard cap, and cap hits can be traded for picks or moved into the future.
Saints might even get Watson a 34-40m cap hit guy.
Cap is nothing for a GM and teammate whom wants to make deals and get cash bonuses each year.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:44 am
I’d leave mike evans alone he has been restructuring for the past 3 years. Get donovan smiths contract n reduce it to single digit m. Shaq barrett should also restructure idk why we make these deals when we cant ever afford them. Talk about an average player earning elite money in donovan smith smh. He is earning more than lavonte david this year and plays with alot less effectiveness.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:44 am
Push it to next year. All of it. Do what the saints have done for years and put us in cap h#ll next year when we will have no QB.
THE FUTURE IS NOW.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:44 am
My prediction the following comment will not age well:
“The amateur capologists have been compiling the data and have determined the state of the Buccaneers’ salary cap is grim (as of 11 a.m. on Monday).”
March 14th, 2022 at 11:50 am
Aints cleared up their cap problems, now it’s Licht’s job to earn every penny of his bloated salary.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:54 am
I would like JPP back but idk. Anyway replace suh with a draft selection.
March 14th, 2022 at 11:59 am
We’ve got long way to go and short time to get there.
March 14th, 2022 at 12:00 pm
Delson, players who restructure their contracts get all of their money. Sometimes they actually get it ahead of time in the form of a bonus. Sometimes down the road. But a restructure is not an act that makes it difficult for them to buy groceries. It’s simply helps the team out. And though it is a gracious gesture, again, they are still getting all of their money.
March 14th, 2022 at 12:20 pm
kick the cap number down the road. the cap grows every year so it’s less harmful than spending it all today. plus with the gambling revenue the cap will grow faster so the money due later is a smaller % of the pot
March 14th, 2022 at 12:28 pm
Gloom and Doomers will whine about anything and everything-just do not pay attention to their drivel. Mike Greenberg is the best capologist in the NFL and he will prove it this year. Not to mention the cap will go up astrono mically next year. Bucs win Super Bowl 2023-Ship It.
March 14th, 2022 at 12:29 pm
Steven007 … Excellent (and oftentimes misunderstood) point about ‘players who restructure their contracts get all of their money’. In actuality they often get MORE. Restructuring seems to be more of an accounting mechanism than anything else.
Problem (like the Saints & Falcons have found out) is that kicking the can down the street does in fact have limitations. Sooner or later you have to pay the piper as they say. I think it’s worth doing (to a degree at least) IF you have a chance to be a contender in the present timeframe. But if you’re not a contender, no sense in defraying today’s costs to tomorrow; it only inhibits your potential to become a contender down the road.
Teams like the Jaguars & Jets haven’t been contenders for a number of years, and I’m sure there are many reasons for that (below average drafting, coaching selection & turnover, meh player development, etc). And yet both of them have high draft picks AND lots of salary CAP space (Jets $48 mil with 66 players signed; Jags $39 mil with 57 players signed).
Teams who have been contenders for several years are quite the opposite (low draft picks and low salary CAP space (Rams MINUS $20 mil with 60 players signed; Packers MINUS $17 mil with 51 players signed); Chiefs MINUS $6 mil with 58 players signed).
Bucs are basically in the middle tier ($23) with MINUS $3 mil for 52 players signed. So we still have some room to maneuver before we fall off any cliffs. It’ll be challenging, but I think we can contend again IF management makes all the right moves (restructurings, free agency, draft, etc).
March 14th, 2022 at 2:30 pm
I’d rather have Gronk back. He is dependable and has that rapport with Brady. OJ man…..When will he ever..step up? Let him go. He’s had more than enough time. Just hope Gronk reevaluates and returns
March 14th, 2022 at 10:47 pm
This is the main problem with Brady coming back. He doesn’t want to be part of a rebuild, but this team’s depth may depend on the draft. Which means every pick has to be immediate starting caliber.