Loving The Re-Signing Of Ryan Jensen
March 15th, 2022
Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen
One national NFL writer is stoked for the Bucs after they got free agent center Ryan Jensen to return.
And that happens to be Dan Graziano of BSPN. He credits the salesmanship of Bucs quarterback Tom Brady for this move and considers it a huge deal.
Grade: A+
Tom Brady the assistant GM strikes again! Jensen was set to be one of the most pursued and coveted free agents on the market, with the Bengals, Jets, Ravens and others lined up to try to add him to their offensive lines. But not only did the Buccaneers get him back, they got him back for under market value at $13 million per year. This is a side effect of Brady deciding to return, but it’s going to benefit the Bucs in the big picture, as well.
Of course this is a monster move. Joe maintained for weeks that if the Bucs didn’t bring Jensen back, Brady simply wasn’t going to come out of retirement, that’s all there is to it.
And as you will hear famed JoeBucsFan.com columnist Ira Kaufman explain in his next podcast, the signing was a major goal for Brady.
March 15th, 2022 at 4:23 am
Same people gave the Bengals a C for the signing of Cappa — said he’s a very average guard, nothing special and $10m is a lot for a very average guard. For once, I agree with ESPN. I have complete faith in Licht being able to get some new guards that are at least average.
Also any word on the details of Jensen and Davis contracts? I’m interesting in knowing how they got these done, if they used void years or back loaded them to the 2nd and 3rd years. If they didn’t backload them and used void years, then it might tell you that the Bucs think Brady will stick around past this season.
March 15th, 2022 at 4:26 am
We still have to figure out who’s replacing the LG and RG positions. Still a big hole. Stinnie isn’t bad, but can he handle the whole season and how does he match up against an Aaron Donald type?
This draft will be about the trenches again.
March 15th, 2022 at 4:33 am
I also don’t care about grades on players. Cappa was solid for us. That’s all that matters. You can’t have 5 Pro Bowl OL and afford them all.
March 15th, 2022 at 4:48 am
So glad to have Mr Jensen back in the hold!
March 15th, 2022 at 4:49 am
Great!
March 15th, 2022 at 5:02 am
lambchop – solid, means average, which means a C…. it’s the same thing, just different terms.
The issue is if a ‘solid’ non-special guard is worth $10m or not? The Bucs, clearly, thought not.
March 15th, 2022 at 5:09 am
That’s what got our qb back along with avoiding grocery shopping and picking out dresses 😉 for the wife.
March 15th, 2022 at 5:09 am
spotrac has the numbers I was looking for…
Davis’s deal…. $8.1m cap hit in 2022, then $18.1m cap hi in 2023 and 2024.
Jensen’s deal uses void years… it’s a mess… but, what you want to know… Jensen, 2022 cap hit: $4m, 2023 and 2024 cap hit: $15, then we get two void years at $5m and $2.5m
I can full deal with that.
March 15th, 2022 at 6:02 am
All I know is, the Enforcer is back. 🙂
March 15th, 2022 at 6:31 am
You NEED him on that wall!
March 15th, 2022 at 6:41 am
Will be interesting to see how they play free agency and the draft to potentially fill one (or both) of the guard positions. Is it a guarantee that they see Stinnie as a starter in place of Cappa? Do they think one of the other big bodies they’ve been working with can develop into a quality starter? Or are they planning on drafting a guard on Day 1 or 2. Would be nice if that wasn’t necessary given the need at WR, DL, maybe even TE in the early rounds. Would also be nice to look at another CB on Day 1 or 2, as SMB and Dean have not been consistent and both could be in their last year in TB. Protecting Brady, even if it’s only for one year, probably increases the likelihood that our 1st rounder could be an OG, especially if there’s a plug-and-play option available at 27.
March 15th, 2022 at 6:44 am
IMO….it feels like we only lost one linemen. Stinnie filled in very well for Cappa, didn’t miss a beat with him in there. Marpet is a tough one to replace but we groomed Cappa and Stinnie, I feel confident the draft pick from ND is ready.
The Davis signing I dont get….if we dont fix the d-line, its not going to matter who is back there.
March 15th, 2022 at 6:56 am
‘Tom Brady the assistant GM strikes again! ‘
Love that line Joe, and especially the part about TB12 being an ASSISTANT GM. Ya, we’ll go with that, but personally I would’ve gone the other way. One week ago we were a broken down train HOPING to compete for anything in the weak NFC South. Most of our super-star cast was ready to walk. Now (after Brady’s re-up) we’re instantly SB contenders once again, with several locked up (Jensen, Davis) and more to come I’m convinced. But ya, Tom’s the ASSISTANT GM.
And Rod, NOW you decide you like Spotrac? So their stats are important when they support YOUR position that salary CAP numbers can be manipulated? (Just pulling your chain; of course they can). The good news is that by throwing everything to out-years we can sign a LOT of players & compete this year. The bad news is that the future will arrive soon enough, and we will have to pay the piper … some day … and probably return to the Decade of Decadence. But we won’t have Tom Brady then, so go for the ring NOW. Damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead.
March 15th, 2022 at 7:01 am
Bobby M … ‘The Davis signing I dont get….if we dont fix the d-line, its not going to matter who is back there.’
BINGO! I don’t get it either, at least so quickly after the start of FA. But maybe there was an offer on the table from someone (?) that the Bucs had to match quickly or lose Carlton. Personally thought that they’d let him test the FA waters, and then match it if it was inn the $10-$12 range. But noooo …
March 15th, 2022 at 7:15 am
Brady might be paying Jensen some cash under the table… The money Brady gets from the Bucs is just incidental
March 15th, 2022 at 7:41 am
Way to go ..congrats Jason Licht for making it happen, and of course TB’s unretiring was the carrot that helped make it possible but Licht’s ability to work the cap is so refreshing to try to keep the band together.
Does this mean we get GRONK back?
March 15th, 2022 at 7:54 am
We went from doom & gloom 2 weeks ago to the Bucs are are back by one tweet on Sunday night! Funny how all the negativity is all of a sudden gone once Brady comes back into the picture. Think move big re-signings are coming in the next couple of days. Life is good in Tampa Bay again!
March 15th, 2022 at 7:55 am
We went from doom & gloom 2 weeks ago to the Bucs are are back by one tweet on Sunday night! Funny how all the negativity is all of a sudden gone once Brady comes back into the picture. Think more big re-signings are coming in the next couple of days. Life is good in Tampa Bay again!
March 15th, 2022 at 8:15 am
FU Alex Cappa.
March 15th, 2022 at 8:16 am
The key to the Jensen signing is Hainsey……can he move to guard?….or will he be the extra tackle on the heavy package and our versatile 6th man?
I trust Licht…..especially with 3rd round Olinemen…..and that’s good because we need a DT early & I still think we need another CB a TE…..
I never cease to be amazed at how Licht finds the money….we still need Whitehead, Gronk, Lenny…probably Gholston and the draft class….
March 15th, 2022 at 8:23 am
Nice to have the enforcer back for sure! We know Licht can draft O-Linemen so I would expect one in the first 3 rounds. Nice thing about signing Davis is we now have flexibility in the draft and don’t have to draft a CB in the 1st if the value is not there. That is huge for this team.
March 15th, 2022 at 8:47 am
Rod Munch,
I agree we couldn’t afford him, I just don’t care about his grade. Only once did I think Cappa wasn’t who we needed him to be. Other than that, he was way better than Benenoch, Sweezy, you name it.
If he’s “average” and we get another “average” RG who plays as well as he did on a rookie contract, I’ll be ecstatic. We had all kinds of problems at RG until he took over.
March 15th, 2022 at 8:51 am
I agree with Rod Munch that Cappa is just an average guard, and Cincinnati paid way too much for him.
So Glad Ryan Jensen is back!
Now we need to fix the D Line, so we can get some pressure w/o blitzing all the time!
March 15th, 2022 at 8:59 am
Sign Akiem Hicks to take over for suh. He can come on the cheap
March 15th, 2022 at 9:18 am
Cappa is definitely just an average player with the Bucs O line however he is a significant up for the Bengals, they had one of the worst lines in the league last year. Good luck to him but seriously, no F’s given over his departure.
March 15th, 2022 at 9:35 am
GOAT and crew are ready to reload. Can’t wait to see the guys we bring back, and ones we bring in that want to be a part of the process with our team.
I had to check the news again yesterday morning bc I was not sure if I was dreaming about the Sunday evening breakthrough! Thankful, appreciative, and ready to kick some butt this year! Go Bucs!
March 15th, 2022 at 10:07 am
I absolutely love this deal! Every time there was a brawl Ryan Jensen was involved. Anytime someone hit Brady late Ryan Jensen went after them. He is the enforcer of our office. Sucks we lost a Ali Marpet and I don’t remember Alex Kappa getting penalized much but I don’t remember him making plays either. He’s an acceptable loss. I do not understand Carlton Davis making 15 million a year but I guess that’s a question for another article
March 15th, 2022 at 10:25 am
So glad Jensen is back. He is a true leader by example. Now is the time to plug a young guard beside him to learn nasty is good. I would draft Fafalele in the 2nd. The kid may be too too nice but could learn from Jensen. Save the first round pick for a DL or LB.
March 15th, 2022 at 11:03 am
Nothing demoralizes an opponent faster than a good enforcer on either side of the line. This was a huge signing!
March 15th, 2022 at 11:44 am
I’m certainly loving it.
March 15th, 2022 at 12:35 pm
Center is the most underrated positions in football. A great Center calls protections, picks up blitzers, and gets downfield for second level blocks. Keeping the leader of the OL was savvy.