Free Agency Countdown: 27 Days — The Robert Hainsey Files
February 11th, 2025
The third-shift interns at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters are all wearning No. 27 jerseys today.
The countdown clock just went below 657 hours.
At high noon on Monday, March 10, NFL teams will negotiate with agents and reach agreements to sign players in free agency. Ian Rapoport and the “sources” crowd will start reporting big-name signings on social media like Joe inhales TUMS after Bucs losses. Those deals can be made official on Wednesday, March 12.
The Bucs are planning to play in free agency this season. Whether they play at the high-stakes tables is unclear.
One guy the Bucs probably are hungry to keep is center/guard Robert Hainsey. The homegrown talent just finished his rookie contract. He’s 26 years old is known as a team-first guy who is tight with his fellow offensive linemen and Baker Mayfield. More important, Hainsey played a hell of a game in his lone start last season.
Turn on the film. Hainsey was flat out balling against the slimy Saints in New Orleans as the Bucs ran for 277 yards and threw for 317 en route to a 51-27 win.
Starting center Graham Barton returned a week later from his hamstring injury and Hainsey was back on the bench.
Hainsey is durable, experienced and smart. That makes him an ideal backup. Joe has to think Hainsey has no desire to be a backup after starting in 2022 and 2023, but is he good enough to be paid like a free agent starter on the open market? That’s the $3.5 million question.
And that’s what it might cost Tampa Bay to keep him for 2025.
For those wondering, the Jaguars have veteran center Mitch Morse, a 2022 Pro Bowler for the Bills, under contract for 2025.
Joe could see Hainsey having a market, especially for a team that wants a proven veteran on the roster as they sniff centers in the 2025 NFL Draft.
February 11th, 2025 at 4:06 am
Wouldn’t blame Hainsey for wanting to test the FA waters for a possible starter gig. Any player who aspires to be just a backup probably has little chance of ever starting. Robert wants to get back to being a starter I’m sure, but that won’t happen here.
Bucs currently have 22 UFAs who they can re-sign. As I look at that group, I could see re-signing half of them for Training Camp.
o Godwin … Starter
o LVD … Starter
o Bredeson … Starter
o Gaines … Rotational player
o Nelson … Rotational player
o Shaq … Rotational player
o JTS … Rotational player
o Opeta … Backup
o Skule … Backup
o Bryce Hall … Backup
o KJ Britt … Backup/Special Teams
Several others might bear relooking at …
o I’d re-sign Hainsey in a heartbeat, but have a feeling he’d prefer to move on to a place that he could compete to start.
o Trask probably falls in the same category.
o Mike Edwards knows our defense well obviously, and might be worth re-signing as a backup for 2025.
o Merriweather & Brewer are both ERFAs (not UFAs) and I’d re-sign both of them for 2025.
o JJ Russell is a RFA, and would probably be worth re-signing as a Backup/Special Teams player for 2025.
February 11th, 2025 at 4:52 am
Hadn’t realized how many we’re needing to resign DR. I think the biggest thing we’re going to see is fresh faces on defense and maybe even some defensive schemes we’re not used to seeing. This Charlie Strong hiring has me fired up. Saying he is just a DLine coach isn’t doing justice to the strengths that he may just bring to this defense. If he and Bowles have the relationship we hope they’ll have his addition may just be an impact we’re not factoring in.
February 11th, 2025 at 5:19 am
Hainsey is a great 6th man on the OLine, hope they keep him. They’ll be lucky to keep Godwin, he’s probably going to be too pricey. Hope im wrong but the cap doesn’t look too favorable
February 11th, 2025 at 5:21 am
If LVD decides to play another year it will almost certainly be with the Bucs!
He has surpassed 95 million in career earnings. He played for 8 million last year, if he accepts a similar deal this season he’ll pass 100 MILLION in career earnings.
He plans on entering the Ministry the last I read so the real questions are his health and his desire to start his next career. He’s incredibly valuable to the Bucs at this point given there are NO ILB’s other than a guy crowding Jamel Dean in the whirlpool SVD. LVD provides the leadership, especially duriing Winfield’s absence.
CG14 is just health and dollars. IF he’s truly recovered and can put out some dramatic tape of him running cones or routes to prove it, money could become a major issue. Depends on a hometown discount. He’s not coming off a cheap rookie deal needing to cash in. He’s made well over 60 million. He can now do what he wishes.
There are other guys on D.R.’s list I hope stay, some I think should be sent away as in Britt. A great run stopper, lost in coverage, one dimensional in the current D just doesn’t cut it. There’s no way to stop other teams from exploiting his obvious weakness.
Which brings me to perhaps the most important resigning of all! Trask!!!
I’m not going to comment on Trask’s abilities. I’ll leave it to others to determine if his lack of mobility is a deal killer. Everything else about Trask screams resign him! Might be expensive since there’s a dearth of experienced “quality” NFL QB’s right now. Aaron Rodgers will take one spot.
After that Trask will be competing against Darnold, Wilson, and four JAGs…
Mariota (RU kidding) Tyler Huntley, Jacoby Brissett and everybody’s favorite clown..Fameis himself.
Sadly, considering his past here, Fameis perhaps represents the best possible replacement for Trask, his agent will want to much money and there’s just too much water under that bridge.
So bottom line. Are we not concerned BIG TIME about Baker’s backup. For all that we love about Baker it comes at a price. Play with reckless abandon and injuries are going to pop up. If the Bucs TRULY plan to compete for an SB don’t they have to figure that into the equation?
February 11th, 2025 at 5:23 am
I agree with you, Joe.
For all the reasons you listed.
Robert is a team-first guy. He took Graham under his wing despite knowing Graham was drafted to take over the starting position he’d held for two years.
And, our O-line is tight. They hang out together. Starters and backups.
My inclination would be to let him test FA if he wants to, but come back with an offer that is comparable to anything he gets on the market.
There’s a lot of ways to make that happen and it’s something Jason Licht and Mike Greenburg are good at.
February 11th, 2025 at 6:39 am
Keep him…..
February 11th, 2025 at 6:51 am
Hainsey played pretty well last season but the Bucs should have traded him. Keeping a player active on game day that doesn’t have position versatility is bad roster management. Don’t tell me that he can play guard because no one has ever seen it. He played tackle in college but never has been an option when a tackle went down.
February 11th, 2025 at 6:57 am
2nd round: Draft an elite LG with some center experience.
Wirfs is very expensive the next 4 years.
We need a stud on a rookie contract to play alongside Wirfs the next 4 years.
Hainsey? Vet minimum. 1 year.
February 11th, 2025 at 7:39 am
Just like I voted in the poll, have full trust in Licht making the right decision for the team…especially on the offensive line.
February 11th, 2025 at 7:43 am
Clone Tristan Wirfs
February 11th, 2025 at 7:47 am
Can Hainsey play guard?
February 11th, 2025 at 7:59 am
Like this feature Joe. Actually took that Monday off to be on free agency watch. I find it more compelling than the draft.
February 11th, 2025 at 8:36 am
Sign him and pay him.
February 11th, 2025 at 10:45 am
Interesting to see how much he can fetch on the open market, and how much can the Bucs to afford in quality depth as insurance especially with the gaping crater that is the pass defense. He did have an outstanding game in the Bucs’ 50 burger over the Aints, makes you think he might be a better potential option at L.G. than Bredeson, who there is also the financial question about.
February 11th, 2025 at 11:35 am
hainsey’s basically already gone……wake up
February 11th, 2025 at 11:40 am
Maybe Hainsey just needed Carberry to unlock his potential
February 11th, 2025 at 11:46 am
Bucs will never pay to keep him. He’s too good to be a backup.
February 11th, 2025 at 3:56 pm
Hainsey should be Center and Barton moved to Guard. That’s the way to keep Hainsey and take the o line to a whole new level. The dude from the Giants was bad. Bad tape, apparently. Weakest link.
February 11th, 2025 at 8:52 pm
With multiple higher priority needs on D, hard time seeing the Bucs using what limited cap space they have on Hainsey. They can likely re-sign Bredeson for substantially less to compete with Klein at LG, while still providing C depth in case Barton gets injured. Can def see Hainsey having a solid market considering his starting experience & multiple teams with OL needs. Makes zero sense to match a high offer for him to sit on the bench in Tampa. Coud even see them possibly bring back Opeta if he’s healthy instead of Bredeson to compete with Klein, since he seemed to have the LG job before he was injured. Sua’d likely come even cheaper as well coming off the injury.
February 11th, 2025 at 8:59 pm
@Jeff,
Seems pretty obvious the Bucs see Hainsey as a C only player in their scheme. They’ve had multiple oppts to transition him to G and haven’t, even after drafting his replacement. Other teams might feel differently though, which only increases the chance he leaves for a starting oppt elsewhere. Have a feeling we might be surprised by the $$ he gets.
February 12th, 2025 at 3:08 am
Defense Rules
Good post!
I like 10 of your 11; Bo Nix beating Britt to the sideline for a TD in Denver convinces me that he is just not fast enough to keep playing two ILB’s.
I think that Britt should be on a 4-3 team where they can keep him in the middle and play him in a Zack Baun role where he his can plug the middle and play short zone without being beaten by speedsters.