Major Salary Cap Decision Facing Bucs
February 2nd, 2023
GM Jason Licht
Joe apologizes to the fans who read the headline and got excited that this post would be about cutting Donovan Smith or trading Devin White.
Sorry, your fantasies won’t be catered to here this morning.
Joe is referring to the retirement of Tom Brady and what that means for Tampa Bay’s 2023 salary cap.
The Bucs are $50 million-plus over the cap and Brady counts $35 million against the cap if nothing changes. That’s thanks to prior maneuvering by the Tampa Bay front office. But many expect the Bucs will ask Brady to adjust his contract so the Bucs don’t take the entire cap hit this season.
If Brady plays along, and there’s no reason he wouldn’t, the Bucs basically can take an $11 million cap hit this year and then the remaining $24 million in 2024, per Spotrac.com.
But will the Bucs do that, or might they prefer to eat all of Brady’s cap charge in 2023?
Teams typically love to kick the can down the road when it comes to cap money, though perhaps the Bucs believe they are at the end of that road and prefer to pay their debts now?
The answer to these questions, of course, is very much tied to the Bucs’ decision at quarterback. A veteran likely will require significant cap room. Kyle Trask or a rookie will not.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:37 am
Eat it now. Reset as much as possible this year.
Thanks Joes!
Go BUCS!!!
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:37 am
And trade D White lol
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:41 am
I say eat it all now and start Trask all year, that keeps a lot of doors open for next year
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:42 am
Pay the piper now.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:44 am
Go with Gabbert and Trask. They both know the system and tutored under Brady. Let the chips fall where they may. Draft a qb in 2024 with a high pick if this 2023 strategy didn’t go well. We’ve got to see what we have in Trask at this point. Optimistically, we have another Purdy. Got to think this way otherwise why bother being todays Bucs fan.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:48 am
Take the cap hit. It’s an opportunity for a fresh start.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:48 am
Take it all this year.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:49 am
Eat it now. That way if they do decide to move on from Bowles and/or Licht. The new regime will have a clean slate. I don’t want to tank. People pay good money to see these games. The last 3 years have been great. Dark times a coming lol
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:49 am
If Brady help us to push the 24 million to 2024, then they still have a 31 million deficit for 2023… and then if they want a QB, say Derek Carr for instance, that 31 goes to 69 million they have to trim, as Carr’s cap value this year is 38 mil. I don’t see how any big $$$ free agent QB fits into the picture in ’23.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:51 am
Bucs aren’t winning much with this D. They will regain a running attack with a healthy OLine. The new O/C will need to have experience with successful running game. They can’t afford a free agent expensive QB. And if they go that route, there will be little left to upgrade the D.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:53 am
Eat the cap problems now. Focus on the offense and score points and draft a new defense. (must keep david because he needs to be a buc for life). Cut/trade Gage, Fournette, Smith, Shaq, brate, succop.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:56 am
Eat it this year. Do not cut players but shop players for draft capital for the 2024 draft.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:58 am
I wouldn’t mind if they just decided to eat the whole $35M in 2023 but I doubt they will.
More likely they bring back LVD and kick the $24M owed to Brady into 2024.
That would allow them to move LVD’s $8M of dead cap also into 2024 or beyond…
That’s $32M of cap space the Bucs desperately need – especially if they plan on signing a free agent QB like Baker-Mayfield, Carr, Jimmy G, Geno Smith, etc.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:00 am
Except that the NE Patriots want to sign Brady on a 1 day contract to retire as a patriot……
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:07 am
I understand the logic but as a fan I want the Bucs to be competitive every single year. Yes, I want the Bucs to win the division and get a shot in the tournament. If Brady can help more honor to him.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:11 am
@ Andrew Fish
“Cut/trade Gage, Fournette, Smith, Shaq, brate, succop.”
Succop and Brate can be cut with little dead cap space added to the $55M deficit the Bucs already have.
D. Smith can be cut and we save @ $10M but then have to find a replacement.
But Gage, Fournette and Shaq Barrett have way too much guaranteed money left on their deals.
We might find a team willing to trade a ham sammich for Gage but I doubt it…
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:14 am
If Trask starts and Monken comes back, it will be his third 5-11 as a coach of the Bucs. Trask is PRACTICE SQUAD material and the only QB on the Bucs roster.
We got White, Wirfs, Weinfield to resign soon and those are our youngest all-star that will want all-star contracts.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:17 am
^^it will be his third 5-11 with Bucs^^
Was just thinking IF THAT for 5-11 with Trask. That guy literally looks 0-17^^
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:17 am
definitely cut Smith and Trade D White
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:26 am
Fans say eat it now and will complain during the season. I think eating it now is the right move but I would love for the Bucs to move up in the draft to grab a QB. I’m on the Richardson train and am ok with the growing pains that come with it.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:27 am
No No No No No No No. Remember that ultimately every man has his own interests at heart. Bowles and Licht are not going to decimate the roster knowing their jobs are on the line this year. They are going to try and assemble the most competitive roster they can. There will be no #CollapseForCaleb because Licht/Bowles won’t be around to make it happen, and they know it. (If they fire both this week, then maybe the Glazers will have that in mind.) They will sign a veteran QB, like Gabbert or Mayfield, have a ‘QB competition’ and go from there. Monken won’t be coming back here – he has too sweet of a deal in Athens. We’re going to get some hungry, up-and-coming passing game coordinator or retread OC who only wants the dollar bills. We *should* take the hit now, but with Bowles/Licht knowing they are on the hot seat, they will push the can down the road to protect themselves. Welcome back to mediocrity, fellow Bucs fans. The championship was worth it.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:28 am
Suck it up for 2023. Gut the older but serviceable vets for picks.
Start fresh, including a HC.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:28 am
Monken and Bennett and Washington plz
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:29 am
We will never win with Bowels at the helm. The division title last year doesn’t count. 8-10 with Brady means you are not capable of winning in this league. He’ll be gone after this 1-16 season coming up. He’s always been a loser, and he’ll always be a loser at HC.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:30 am
Ok hyatt and Hooker won’t be too bad either
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:36 am
Sasquatch makes a good point. Its all dependant on what they wanna do at QB. My inclination is they go with Trask and eat all of Brady’s hit in 23. Everyone besides Brady will cost real money, not just phoney bologna cap dollars. Jimmy G for instance is all about getting paid. I’d bet dollars to donuts he goes to the highest bidder. Brady was unique in that sense. He never cost a boatload and always signed cap friendly deals. I want nothing to do with Carr. He had plenty of weapons and a good OC. They have to justify the Trask pick. He’ll get his shot unless he’s worse than I think he is. My guess is they’ll sign a guy like Jacoby Brissett for insurance purposes with the caveat he’ll get to compete for the job. Strange days indeed
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:39 am
Eat it now adjust Evans and Godwin contracts trade Smith, Gage, Fournette and shop White. Then if no high draft pick for White then trade Mason.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:40 am
I can see the logic of eating it now… but if we do that, are you going to be first in line to bash Bowles when they go 6-11?
We can’t have it both ways. We’re not going to win if we are putting together a roster of UDFAs and cheap journeyman free agents.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:45 am
David, Hicks, Julio Jones, Gholston, Nacho, Gabbert, Rudolph, SMB, Stinnie, Wells, Bernard, Neal, Perriman, O’Connor(we better bring Patty back), Nassib, Ryan, Avery, Senat, Dean, Edwards, Nelly, JJ Russell, and Miller are all UFAs. Leverett & Delaney are exclusive right and easier to retain, but our UFA list has some talent worth keeping and talent just reading the name that you know won’t be back like Julio, Rudolph, Perriman, & Russell
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:50 am
Lamar Jackson is the only free agent qb I would break the bank for. Please don’t get Carr or glass Jimmy G.
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:56 am
Kudos for running a tough article Joe. My preference, like so many others, is to eat all of the $35 mil this year instead of putting off $24 mil of that until 2024. Sliding CAP hits to following years makes sense IMO only if you’re gunning for the Super Bowl. I’d say take a poll of how many JBFers think we’ll be SB contenders this year, but you already know the answer.
To me, the first decisions that need to be made as we enter this rebuilding phase are (1) what IDENTITY do we want to strive for; and (2) who to keep & build around to help achieve that identity. By 2020 when we won the Super Bowl, we had transitioned from having an OFFENSE IDENTITY to being a reasonably BALANCED team in terms of performance (offense #3; defense #8). Pretty much the same in 2021 (offense #2; defense #5). For those bad-mouthing Todd Bowles, he’s the one you should thank for that major improvement.
THAT should be our goal: to build a TEAM that’s fairly BALANCED in terms of performance. Doesn’t necessarily equate to how much you spend, but rather to how well each side of the field performs. Coaching obviously plays a huge role in that, but so does talent. And too many downplay LEADERSHIP on the field, but it’s critical (as we should’ve seen this past season).
And there-in lies a big part of our dilemma as we decide who to keep & build around … ‘Who are the leaders on this team right now?’ I’d pick Jensen as a true team leader, but beyond that not seeing a whole bunch of real leaders. JPP & Suh were both leaders (albeit different types), but no one’s stepped up to fill the void (neither Vea nor White nor Davis have stepped up to become true team leaders). And our defense suffered for it. Now’s a good time to at least start fixing that.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:06 pm
How many coaches are the bucs gonna interview for oc? We should get an over under going. Lol
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:08 pm
Even if he bats 1000 in the draft, there will be holes in this team. The only way to fix them is with the waiver wire, and that is even more iffy than the draft.
Stock up on booze for next season, the Bucs are going to drive us to drink, again.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:11 pm
Of course you push it. We are in a situation where we won’t even be able to keep our own free agents (SMB, Dean, Edwards, David). We need to push the cap hit to later, keep the players we want, trade the ones we don’t, and hit a few home runs in the draft. We don’t even have a quarterback and will need one unless we plan on starting Trask.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:13 pm
Smart move is likely eat it now but also unload players for picks. Evans, Fournettee, Davis, Smith, Gage, White….there’s opportunity to reload with youth while clearing up the cap. The division is still weak and we would still be competitive.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:17 pm
I say just eat everything this year. Because next year will be house cleaning time. Bowles will be gone and a lot of these veterans worth anything will be traded and we can start fresh in 2024 with cap room and a new regime.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:22 pm
Hammerhead Says:
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:44 am
Go with Gabbert and Trask. They both know the system
The system will change with the new OC….
Best to eat the cap now……giving Bowles the extra money is a waste……suck it up…..make due with what we have……
Let all the older players go……it hurts but that includes LVD.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:23 pm
Eating it all now might cause us to choke..
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:23 pm
Accidentally posted on the previous story:
Eat the cap now and start re-tooling. Some veterans need to go for draft pocks. Trask and Gabbert are the QB’s, there is no need for a veteran. The sooner Licht gets us out of this mess the sooner we can rebuild. Best case scenario Licht hits on a few picks and we find Trask is serviceable. If not then keep in mind we still have Bowles leading the charge to failure thus securing high picks for next year. If anyone can pull off a 5-12 season, it’s Bowles
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:40 pm
Winky smart.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:45 pm
BucsfanFred…choke and collapseforCaleb!
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:54 pm
Sasquatch with all do respect the Bucs are not going to have a good record whether they eat the cap or not. There is no fire in this team anymore and thats on the head coach.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:57 pm
Anyone who wants to get rid of White is as stupid as Leftwich. Literally.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:58 pm
Short of being able to get Aaron Rodgers, which isn’t going to happen, just eat the cap hit this year and give your new coaching staff as clean of a cap as possible in 2024.
February 2nd, 2023 at 12:59 pm
DR,
I think Bowles has an identity in mind for this team, but the problem is that last year, he didn’t have the right people for it.
What that identity is exactly, I dunno. But he’ll know it when he sees it, LOL.
All kidding aside, IMO Bowles wants an OK passing game to supplement his strong run game. In other words, control TOP – that’s Bowles’ identity, TOP and strong defense.
Not sure how strong our defense will be this year given all our FA’s on that side of the ball. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out this offseason, which is in stark contrast to the last few years where our team was basically set and we knew (or thought we knew) what we had.
The only thing I know for certain is that this offseason will be riddled with a ton of unknowns, uncertainty, and apparently, unbridled pessimism until we see the product on the field.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:11 pm
There is nothing like keeping on, keeping on kicking the can down the road. Eat it this year and move forward without any issues or limits in 24. Yeah, we hear how the cap limit will likely go up in 24, will it be by more than 25 million? I will wait to see if it is that high of an increase. Take our lumps this season for our paying to bring back the band and spending for one more shot at the big dance. Time to suck it up butter cup.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:15 pm
Eat it all now, put Wirfs at LT, Goedeke at RT (his natural position), cut Donovan Smith, Fournette, Succop,Gage, Logan Ryan, Hicks, and re-sign Anthony Nelson and one Cornerback. The rest draft Oline, Dline, LB and CB. Resign Gabbert and let’s take our lumps next year so Bucs can spend the following year with hopefully their new coaching staff.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:18 pm
RustyRhinos Says:
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:11 pm
There is nothing like keeping on, keeping on kicking the can down the road. Eat it this year and move forward without any issues or limits in 24. Yeah, we hear how the cap limit will likely go up in 24, will it be by more than 25 million?
———-
The 2024 cap increase is supposed to be major, like maybe in the $60 million range. But keep in mind that means everyone is going to get a raise, and everything is going to be a lot more expensive. That’s why Licht would be smart to cut as much deadweight as possible AND get deals done with any of the guys he wants to keep.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:18 pm
Defense, good coaching can mitigate many problems as you know. Bad coaching can also drag on a team like a tape worm. They will eat the whole Brady hit, because Licht and co. Knows they ain’t winning jack next season. IMO they should’ve launched the whole bunch. Instead, they apparently let Bowles blame others. I bet BAs hush money agreement ends as soon as the contractual obligation does.
Draft picks won’t solve this. Unless you have a QB, you have squat. We’ve seen this movie. Plenty of talent and nobody good enough to pull the trigger. I think many of you vastly underestimated the Brady effect. Go ask Belichick.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:20 pm
It does NOT matter how they manage the Cap issue;; as long as bowles is HC –best we do is win 5 ,maybe 6 games nxt yr …..
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:28 pm
Just heard Kraft wants Brady to sign a 1 day contract and retire as a Pat.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:32 pm
There is no can to kick anymore.
Last season was the end of the road for all-in, and it ended with one-and-out after a truly sorry season.
Time to man-up and clean up the cap and get picks for aging players.
It was a blast while it lasted. But, please, no more “one more time” band-aids.
Oh, and fire Bowles.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:35 pm
Jacoby Brisset has a good shot of being the next geno smith of the seahawks. he needs luck
let trask back him up.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:37 pm
Brady counts 35m this year, and around 10m for the following 2 years. So the math is possibly off there, Joe. Maybe.
That said, whether they eat it this year depends on other factors.
If they manage to get Carr, for example, we will need to pay him. That will take some fancy maneuvering.
If they do not get a Brady replacement and roll with Trask, then eat it.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:39 pm
@ D-Rok/DR
I have two words for you – Greg Roman…
If you want TOP – Greg Roman’s offense holds the NFL record (2019)
If you want to run the football – Greg Roman’s offense holds the NFL record (2019)
If you want a QB who can run and take advantage of a more mobile QB – Greg Roman’s offense holds the record (2019)
Greg Roman was just fired from Baltimore. Before that he was with the 49ers.
The Man knows how to run the football in the NFL.
My next move would be to find a solid more mobile QB.
Chicago is wanting to trade Justine Fields. I would look their fist. If we could land JF with just a 3rd round pick I would do it. 2nd round pick I would consider it. 1st round pick I would probably pass.
Tyler Huntley and PJ Walker are both cheap free agents. Plus the draft has a few QBs who could run this system – maybe grab Stetson Bennett with a 3rd round pick or Richardson from Florida with pick #19 or 2nd round if possible…
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:40 pm
captivajim Says:
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:20 pm
It does NOT matter how they manage the Cap issue;; as long as bowles is HC –best we do is win 5 ,maybe 6 games nxt yr …..
—–
Yeah, but that’s why you want to clean up the cap, then just pair Trask and Bowles and go for that top pick in 2024. The only thing that hurts is getting rid of Leftwich, with him I think this team could have gone 3-14, but without him they’re more like 4-13, maybe even 5-12 if they waste picks and don’t clean up the cap and get a loser like Derek Carr.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:41 pm
Or…trade the cap money for part ownership to Brady. That will keep him committed to Tampa instead of NE, maybe convert his contract away from a cap hit, and free up all his money (in a fantasy world).
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:46 pm
Oddball, he should. Kraft and Brady have a father son type relationship. I bet he helps us out with the cap, if they want. Brady isn’t big on sentimentality, but I think he owes it to the owner and the fans in NE. Don’t forget he turned that dumpster around just like he did with us. The Patriots pre Brady had been to two Superbowls and been blown out in both. Blown out maybe strong for the Packers game, but the game was really never in doubt.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:47 pm
Trade:
– Devin White for as much as you can get
– Ryan Jensen to a contender (*Turns 32 in May – If he was 29 I’d keep him)
Cut:
– Donovan Smith
– Cam Brate
– Ryan Succop
– Lenny (doubt anyone would trade)
Extend/Restructure:
– Mike Evans
– Godwin?
– Shaq Mason
– Carlton Davis
Resign:
– Lavonte
Gotta NAIL the draft and fill holes with value FAs who can stay healthy.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:47 pm
Take the hit now. This year is gonna suck anyway with Bozo at the helm.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:48 pm
@ Joe
Please review my last comment.
Why moderation?
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:49 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai – Carr just lost his starting gig for one of the worst teams in football, despite having a ton of weapons and an offensive minded OC. All of Carr’s headcoaches have all hated him, his teammates don’t like him, and he plays in a way to inflate his stats, not win games.
I know I’ve used this example numerous times, but at the end of a game vs the Jets a few years ago, the Raiders are down by multiple scores, there’s like 4 seconds left, it’s 4th at goal – and Carr just throws the ball out of bounds, doesn’t even give his guys a chance. Why would you do that? You do that because you care more about possibly getting an INT on your stat sheet than you care about anything else. Gruden was on the sideline and looked like he wanted to strangle him on the spot. That’s Derek Carr, and why none of his coaches or teammates like him.
The worst thing the Bucs could do is tie themselves to someone like Carr. Sure, he might win an extra game over Trask, but now you just gave up picks to get him, and have him locked into a big deal, screwing up the cap for years. So now there’s no hope, less picks, and a bad cap. Also, what new headcoach would even want Carr seeing how he gets everyone around him fired? So now, after Bowles is fired, you’re getting another 3rd tier replacement.
No, just take your hits with Trask next year and see what you have. I think he’ll be awful, but if so, then great, he’s getting you a top pick you can use on your future QB. Also, there’s always the chance, however small, that Trask is good, and if so, great, you got a QB for the future and your rebuild is greatly accelerated.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:51 pm
Rod Munch Says
“Yeah, but that’s why you want to clean up the cap, then just pair Trask and Bowles and go for that top pick in 2024. The only thing that hurts is getting rid of Leftwich, with him I think this team could have gone 3-14, but without him they’re more like 4-13, maybe even 5-12 if they waste picks and don’t clean up the cap and get a loser like Derek Carr.”
Question. Do you think Bowles is a good enough Defensive Coordinator that, if healthy, the defense can thrive under him?
I do…and that could change things somewhat.
Depending on the new OC and Trask, objectively Bowles could get lucky. His low energy doesn’t seem to hard the defense (thus far). They play to win. Injuries and exhaustion were the biggest issue with the defense last year.
If Jason Licht somehow manages to fix the offensive line (replace weak spots and it gets healthy), make sure w don’t lose to much on defense (either by re-signing or replacing thru FA or Draft)…then Trask could do an acceptable job. He’d be protected by a good OL and have time to grow and keep mistakes down.
Given our division…Bowles could actually survive…and no way do they tank. Not after working so long to get rid of a losing culture.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:52 pm
@Rod Munch
I admit I’m biased toward Carr because I wanted to draft him…but his team never gave him much protection either.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:55 pm
Pay Brady all his money because he earned it! We went all in on Brady and we won a Super Bowl, that was the whole point. We risked it and got the biscuit! Now it’s time to rebuild, reset, and set the foundation again so we can win another Super Bowl with a different quarterback. Trade everyone for draft picks and let all our free agency go to make more salary cap space so we can use it in the future when we need to. It will take 4-5 years before we become a Super Bowl contender again and I’m okay with that as long as we keep showing some kind of significant improvement every year.
Go Bucs! And thank you again Tom Brady!!
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:57 pm
Just throwing this out there as some wild fantasy stuff for those who know a lot more about this years draft than myself…
What if the Bucs went balls to the wall and tried trading up to the #1 pick. Let’s say they gave up three #1s and Ryan Jensen and Donovan Smith to Chicago, and were able to get the top pick. Chicago’s offensive line is trash, and getting all those picks and offensive lineman might get the deal done. In this situation I’d have the Bucs getting back a 3rd and 4th as well.
Is there a true franchise QB at the top of the draft this year? I haven’t paid attention to college football at all this year, so I don’t really know anything other than the basics and some small snippets I’ve read about guys.
I’m just asking a question, not advocating anything, that’s OK to do guys, you don’t need to get your panties in a bunch because you deem asking questions to be ‘stupid’. But anyone who has looked at this class, let me know your thoughts.
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:59 pm
Bonzai…having Bowles is like having an automatic tank.
2-4 wins.
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:05 pm
Buccaneer Bonzai – Now I’m not an expert on the Raiders, but their line had been pretty solid at least a couple of years ago, and they added a ton of offensive weapons as well. Also their RB just lead the league in rushing. That doesn’t mean the line can also pass block, but when I’ve watched Carr, he’ll have some bursts where he looks good, but often he holds the ball too long and is normally checking the ball down. I just don’t think he’s a good QB and he has no upside. He’s the type of guy that might keep you around .500, but that’s it. Also, to make it worse, since he protects his stats, his numbers look good, and gets paid like a top QB. That combo is deadly for a franchise.
As for Bowles, I think he’s a very good defensive coordinator – but since he’s the head coach it means stretching him thin on that side of the ball. Also if the defense loses Dean and SMB, which I expect they will, and David, which is likely, and Shaq on an unknown time table, and Gholston is gone, Hicks is gone, etc – the defense is going to have a lot of turnover and probably be middle of the road, even if Bowles and crew do a great job.
To me, short of getting Aaron Rodgers, you should just take the hit in 2023 and then you should be in good shape in 2024. Also, like I said before, who knows, maybe Trask turns out to be a good QB, it’s possible. But with Carr, I just see years and years of being 5-12 or maybe 6-11, and that’s about it.
However, if the Bucs get him, I’m not going to root against him.
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:07 pm
I say eat it now. Den of depression here we come
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:14 pm
Rod, from my understanding there isnt a can’t miss guy in this draft. 24 and 25 are supposed to have a couple blue chippers. What a stupid question, lol. How dare you propose a meaningful solution. Flogging you’re owed
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:25 pm
“Collapse for Caleb”
It’s just going to happen regardless. The Bucs are going to suck. I’d sell it if I was Licht so he can keep his job.
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:37 pm
lets embrace a 2 win team next year. Roll with trask, see what he has. Pay all the bills this year and gear up 2024 with a top 5 qb draft pick and room to add pieces through FA. #Embracethesuck!
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:38 pm
i can dust off my old paper bag with eye holes to watch trask poop the bed next year knowing that we can get one of these qbs coming out in 24.
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:38 pm
Eat as much cap as you can this year. Trade Devin White and Mike Evans. Cut Donovan Smith, Russell Gage, Lenny, Brate, and Succop. Start Trask. Tank this year then fire Bowels. This is the way. We will give Licht an opportunity to rebuild through the draft and hopefully finally get it right with a franchise QB in Caleb or Drake. It will be a really rough next 2 seasons but it’s the price we have to pay to be truly competitive again in a few years. If we try to be seriously competitive this year by kicking cap and signing a gap veteran QB, we will suffer mediocrity much longer.
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:44 pm
Explosive FLUSH !
Trade anyone for a decent draft pick
It’s not fair to make our favorite veterans suffer through the next few years
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:47 pm
Trading away Ryan Jensen would be a horrible idea. If we draft a QB, we need him…he sets the tone for the rest of the line. He’s big. He’s Mean. He’s NASTY!
And great centers are hard to come by.
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:48 pm
Also…giving up picks when we are having cap issues is a bad idea as well. Especially 3 #1s.
Just take what falls to us.
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:49 pm
SB~LV Says
“Explosive FLUSH !
Trade anyone for a decent draft pick
It’s not fair to make our favorite veterans suffer through the next few years”
I admit, trading for picks instead of trading away picks is much smarter…but…then the Bucs would be embracing a losing culture again. Doubt that would happen.
February 2nd, 2023 at 2:50 pm
They already sold a lot of tix for this year. Buc games are fun even with a loser team and coach. If u have the extra money it makes for a nice Sunday.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:03 pm
Anyone who thinks watching their favorite team shat themselves every sunday needs their heads checked.
I remember “Youngry”, “Toes on the line” , “Tennessee Ready” and the weekly “how many pick sixes will Jameis throw” years. No thanks.
The last time the ‘blew it up’, this team was a laughingstock for a damn decade.
I certainly hope the Glazers aren’t entertaining this stupidity again.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:07 pm
I wonder if Chicago would take Devin White and a 3rd round pick for J. Fields?
Greg Roman is available as OC…
PJ Walker and T. Huntley are free agents.
Tradt Trask for a ham sammich and LFG!!!!
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:13 pm
The Bucs should shift away from the outdated offense BA installed in Tampa.
The pocket passing QB has gone the way of Tom Brady and the T-Rex.
Let’s go with the spread option and a top 5 defense….
Mobile QBs are a dime a dozen right now. Get 3 solid mobile QBs for the price of one D. Carr…
T. Huntley
PJ Walker (who beat Tom Brady in 2022)
J. Fields
Three for the price of one.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:15 pm
Attempt to resign only the following UFAs:
David
Dean
Gholston
Nacho
Nassib
Nelson
O’Connor
Stinnie
Let backups, practice squad, and draftees fill in the rest of the holes. Eat the dead cap money this year. And Jason Licht, please don’t trade up for Division II guys in this years draft.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:27 pm
No more can kicking. We are prepared for the bottoming out from the nosedive that occurred this season.
Dump it all this year, every dime. And no trade ups in the draft, trade down and stockpile picks – the time to begin the rebuild is now Todd
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:38 pm
Eat it now, give Bowles a bad team to go with his bad coaching.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:43 pm
Would be very dumb to push this cap hit down the road. Take the hit…. suck next year and get a new coach and QB in 2024.
February 2nd, 2023 at 3:51 pm
Yeah, no reason to kick the can. Time to rebuild.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:13 pm
Some interesting ideas. Unfortunately, the impact of dead CAP will limit our flexibility considerably.
Looking at 2023, we owe $55.1 mil in voided contracts to 5 players (no way to push those to the future UNLESS we re-sign those players & kick the can down the street one more time … which will exacerbate our future CAP problems). Only 1 of those 5 players is worth re-signing IMO … Will Gholston.
Looking at 2024 though, it’s almost as bad. We’ll owe $38.4 mil to 9 different players due to voided contracts (players are FAs but we’ll still have a CAP hit). Only 1 of those 9 players MIGHT be re-signed (Mike Evans). The rest are goners.
Gets even worse in 2025. We’ll owe $47.3 mil to 12 different players due to voided contracts. We’ll still be impacted by voided contracts to Hicks, Julio, Brate, and many others, even though they won’t be Bucs. It’s obvious that kicking the can down the street & using voided years in contracts should be looked at as ‘the gift that just keeps on giving’.
Bottom line is that the Bucs have painted themselves into a corner, big-time. And it’ll impact the quality of the talent we can sign for at least 3 years, maybe longer. In the meantime, trading veterans doesn’t solve the problem because we’ll still eat their CAP Hit from their voided years (and we’d still have to replace the players with comparable talent, which would mean high draft picks OR tons of $$$ to FAs).
Wonder if it’s possible for an NFL team to file for salary CAP bankruptcy?
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:22 pm
I know it’s not sexy for the salary-cap averse, but talking about who we’re going to sign is meaningless until we figure out how to trim at least 50 million from next year’s cap. And 50 million is conservative and assumes we push Brady’s cap hit into 2024.
The joe’s could perform a service by learning about the cap, doing some research and floating some ideas for how we get there. Go to overthecap.com.
I know the J03s aren’t into cap management. Personally, I’m very interested in how this gets done.
I don’t think it’s as big of a deal to kick 24 million of Brady’s cap hit into 2024. We may not have a Superbowl contender, but we still wanna do everything possible to win this year, short of signing a bunch of over-the-hill or expensive players with contracts having void years like we did the last few years. Brady’s cap hit is the only one I want to push into future years.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:24 pm
The problem with this is that the patriots want to sign Brady to a 1 day deal to retire. That would not allow th Bucs to sign Brady and push back his salary.
Just take the hit this year and use Trask.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:28 pm
Marine Buc … ‘The Bucs should shift away from the outdated offense BA installed in Tampa. Let’s go with the spread option and a top 5 defense’.
Excellent chance Marine that we won’t have any choice because we can’t afford any high-priced QB replacements for Brady & we don’t have a high draft pick to select a top QB.
I thought for awhile that the Philly model would work here, but I’m not so sure. Eagles ended this season with the #3 ranked offense & #8 ranked defense (same as us in 2020). Bucs are several years away now from getting back into the Top-10 on BOTH sides of the ball I think.
Got a hunch that we’ll probably look more like the Washington Commanders … maybe by 2024. They ranked #24 on offense this season, but #7 on defense. They finished 8-8-1 this past season, slightly better than we did. And that was with Carson Wentz & Taylor Heinicke as their QBs (they scored 321 points on offense to our 313 points with Tom Brady).
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:28 pm
Attention Idiots!!!
Brady has already been paid, it’s just a matter of when the PO is booked!!!!
Do some research.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:35 pm
sasquatch … ‘I don’t think it’s as big of a deal to kick 24 million of Brady’s cap hit into 2024.’
I agree with you in that it’d probably be easy, but IMO we shouldn’t do it. 2024 & 2025 are just as bad, and that’d just make it much worse. And it’d probably keep us from being able to re-sign 2 critical youngsters worth building a team around … Wirfs & Winfield.
There’s an EXCELLENT article on Spotrac that should be mandatory reading for anyone who really wants to understand the Bucs 2023 salary CAP dilemma. Not allowed to give links, but if you Google ‘Spotrac What’s Next: Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ you’ll find a 24 Jan 2023 article that goes down our roster position by position, in detail. It even gives a lot of reasonable alternatives. Worth checking out.
February 2nd, 2023 at 4:56 pm
I’d be fine with cutting Donovan Smith and tradin Devin White. There’s 21 million cut right there. After that it gets a bit dicey with restructuring and extensions.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:05 pm
First off I don’t know what players want to even resign with New York South. I will not even try to act like I am the genius most think they are.The team has people in place to do this and will do as they see fit. I will watch what happens. As long as Bowles is here this season it will not not matter. There will be no SB.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:05 pm
Jeebs the Honey Bear … ‘Tank this year then fire Bowels. THIS IS THE WAY. We will give Licht an opportunity to rebuild through the draft and hopefully finally get it right with a franchise QB in Caleb or Drake.’
‘This is the way?’ You’ve been watching a lot of Mandalorian I can tell.
As an aside, might want to rethink who to trust. JL is the one who got us into this mess. And his drafting before BA (and Bowles) arrived was anything but stellar. And especially on the defensive side of the ball.
It’s becoming more and more obvious why BA retired. A wily old coach like him could surely see the writing on the wall. probably the same reason why Sean Payton bailed on New Orleans.
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:14 pm
Sasquatch … And once we cut Donnie & trade Devin, who do we replace them with? And what does it cost?
BTW, remember Kwon? He played for the Jets last year for $1.3 mil & is now a FA. I always felt like he was miscast as a middle LB; better outside (which is where he played at LSU?). He’s bounced around since leaving us in 2018, but the Bucs might want to re-look at him for our ILB stable.
February 2nd, 2023 at 6:48 pm
Licht has a great team of cap experts on his staff. You see what you can get on the QB market then work from there. If you can land a good one, you gotta cut some veterans loose to make it work. If you cant find the one you are comfortable with, you go with Trask and a cheap journeyman, and keep roster changes to a minimum. Carr and that chip on his shoulder wouldnt be a bad pickup if the contract was right. Not sold with Baker, or a big commitment to anyone not top flight. Fix the offense and give Bowles a couple of picks to keep the defense going. I like Dean and #45, but not at 20 million. Currently, you can win this division by scoring about 24 pts a game. Lets lean into that Coach!
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:05 pm
Defense Rules Says:
February 2nd, 2023 at 5:14 pm
These are good good questions. I’m not as worried about D. White because he’s a liability an awful lot of the time and I believe we could draft a guy to take over. And with his contract coming up and no way I’d wanna pay him 20 mil per year, now is the time to move on.
As for Donnie, LT is certainly harder to replace. Some have suggested moving Wirfs to LT and putting Goedeke at RT. Donovan is on the list because his performance took a big dip this year and he’s been inconsistent over his career. The arrow is pointing down, and he has a large cap number. If they evaluate his performance and decide that he was handicapped by injury and personal problems, and believe he’ll bounce back, then look to restructure to bring his cap number down.
If we’re going to get under cap, you have to look at the top paid guys and look for places to restructure or unload them. We are so far in the hole, some extreme measures may be called for. Some painful roster moves may occur.
I would cheer a trade of Devin White. He’s a windbag and a moron whose performance doesn’t usually back up his talk. I’m sick of that boob.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:13 pm
Bucs front office mortgaged the future for a Super Bowl run.
With the roster of contracted players, you can’t cut your way or trade your way or restructure your way out of having to pay the piper. Bills are coming due.
Many on here chastised me for pointing out the obvious weeks ago. There’s going to be heavy roster turnover. A handful of marginal free agents may be signed but we’re looking at a non-competitive roster of draft picks, undrafted free agents and camp castoffs to get to 53.
It really makes no sense in trying to go after Carr, unless he’s cut on Valentine’s Day. And then is willing to work with the front office to minimize his 2023 #. (unlikely)…. It makes more sense to go after a bridge level cast off. A Brissett Heinicke Mayfield or even Darnold to compete with Trask.
it’s not gonna be called a tank season, but they reloading with pigeon shot!!!
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:21 pm
Sasquatch … Far as I can tell, there were only 3 players we didn’t renegotiate with this year: D Smith, LVD & White. I kept wondering WHY; we could’ve broken enough free to sign a good DT & an OLineman (we desperately needed both). But we didn’t.
Came to the conclusion that either the players refused to renegotiate (they have that right too) OR the Bucs didn’t want to commit to any of those 3 for the future (THAT’S really what renegotiating a contract accomplishes). I think the latter is the case personally.
Bucs want to move on from Donnie, but really can’t afford to until 2024 (because his dead CAP hit would be $10 mil). Nor do they need to. As long as he’s healthy, he’s ‘serviceable’.
LVD is a different situation. His contract is now ended & with all our other ‘bills’, now way we want to pay an aging veteran $12.5 mil per year like he just got in 2021. Can’t afford it.
I still don’t know what to make of Devin White. He was a beast in the 2020 playoffs, and against quality opponents. I keep asking myself ‘WHERE is THAT Devin White?’ Did winning the SB go to his head? Did Bowles change how he was using White to the point that he became disillusioned or ineffective? Something happened, and right now Devin’s not worth a big $$$ contract like you said. And not just to us; not to anyone. I’m not impressed with his LEADERSHIP skills (a middle LB SHOULD be a team leader; he does call the plays).
Still, if we move on from any of them, we have to replace them. Can we do as well (talent-wise) for less? No idea. But I have a hunch we’re about to find out.
February 2nd, 2023 at 7:42 pm
We’re gonna find out soon because they’re not going to trim 50 million through restructures alone. Some heads are gonna roll. And they will probably have to find bargain solutions, which won’t necessarily be conducive to winning… but sacrifices have to be made.
Guys to unload through trade or cut
——————————
Donovan Smith
Devin White
Leonard Fournette
Cam Brate
Ryan Succop
Reneg/restruct
————-
Vita Vea
Carlton Davis
Chris Godwin
Ryan Jensen
Shaq Mason
Russell Gage
Unfortunately, we’re stuck with Shaq Barrett’s 23 million cap hit. Can’t cut him because there’s no savings in doing so. And it doesn’t make sense to renegotiate since he’s a 30 year old guy coming off an Achilles injury. We’re super-ph0uecked on that contract.
February 2nd, 2023 at 8:41 pm
Rod Munch Says:
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:40 pm
captivajim Says:
February 2nd, 2023 at 1:20 pm
It does NOT matter how they manage the Cap issue;; as long as bowles is HC –best we do is win 5 ,maybe 6 games nxt yr
Nothing more true than this–Todd Bowles is garbage–nothing to look forward to with this team. Please sell donovan smith and devin white both
February 2nd, 2023 at 8:43 pm
Sasquatch … Your list strengthens my belief that we’re in for a very tough 2023. And very possibly 2024 & 2025.
Redoing Godwin’s contract is a no-brainer IMO (I’ll gladly commit to him for the future). Ryan Jensen has 2 years left on his contract, but he’s already got voided contracts for 2025 & 2026 totaling $7.5 mil (like many others). That’s a good example of how ‘creative’ the Bucs’ GM was in kicking the can down the street (he even created new streets to kick it down). We’re soooo screwed thanks to his ‘creativity’.
For 2023, 2024 & 2025 as a minimum, we’ll be playing a LOT of rookies & inexpensive free agents to go along with those few aging ‘super-stars’ we have under contract. Several of those we should be releasing or trading, but can’t because of what it would cost us. And even once we divest ourselves of their contracts, we’ll STILL be paying through the nose for voided contracts in following years.
No high-performing HC is gonna want to touch this roster. Neither will most super-star FAs (we couldn’t afford them anyways). The one ray of sunshine is that we MIGHT have enough talent on our offense to do some damage in 2023 & maybe even in 2024 IF we can find a competent QB to lead it. But even before that, we need to hire a very creative OC who isn’t afraid to think outside the box. Oh and then hope that Todd Bowles can piece together enough of a defense to allow us to be competitive. Time will tell …
February 2nd, 2023 at 9:23 pm
@DR,
Yeah, it’s going to be a challenge. Could also be exciting to see how they “reload”… I’m not expecting them to be a great team in ’23, nor am I expecting them to absolutely suck. I really think Licht is going to need to focus on gathering draft picks through trades, and just load this team up with young players this year. Hopefully some speed on offense.
February 2nd, 2023 at 9:28 pm
Lol
February 2nd, 2023 at 9:40 pm
Bucs are basically in the soup kitchen
SMDH
But Jason Licht is the best GM ever!
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:27 pm
Am I missing something why are people bringing up Richardson to draft?
53.8% comp 17 TD to 9 ints. Has never broken 60% comp in his college career.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:56 pm
I agree on getting Greg Roman because I too feel the days of the drop back passer are coming to an end.
I would love to see us run some type of spread offense.
Imagine all our receiver talent on the field in the spread, running lanes can’t help but open up!
I also agree with taking the cap hit this year. Might as well get it over with.
February 2nd, 2023 at 10:56 pm
I agree on getting Greg Roman because I too feel the days of the drop back passer are coming to an end.
I would love to see us run some type of spread offense.
Imagine all our receiver talent on the field in the spread, running lanes can’t help but open up!
I also agree with taking the cap hit this year. Might as well get it over with.
Got hit with the duplicate content filter again
February 2nd, 2023 at 11:13 pm
Greg Roman isn’t on the list of candidates, as far as we know.
February 3rd, 2023 at 12:07 am
Trask = #1 pick 2024
February 3rd, 2023 at 5:01 pm
Just look at what Seattle did this year.
You HAVE to eat it all and WAY more than that.
I know it sucks to think LVD and Evans and Godwin and White will be gone but we have to move on.
Look at the Glory years for Seattle and then how long they were relevant but not good enough.
They FINALLY ship out Sherman and other members of the Legion of Boom but then Wagner and Wilson.
Then they got better.
We need to do the pain staking things as quick as possible.
No Brady around to get excited about and no way in Hell we can sign a QB.
Cut everyone, give Trask a chance and draft Caleb Williams.
Gotta have money for Wirfs and Winfield, only guys making Pro Bowls anyway.
February 4th, 2023 at 8:57 am
I agree with the eat it now crowd. 1st cut or trade should be D. Smith & move Wirfs to LT. Then in no particular order Brate, Succoup, Fournett, Bunting. And then go from there. Trask should be given the chance to start.