“Multiple Teams” After Wirfs
April 24th, 2020
Being aggressive paid off.
Joe can understand how some jaded Bucs fans may not have believed Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht when he said he needed to trade up to secure offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs.
Joe even read one ridiculous comment on this here site that suggested Licht got “Trubisky’ied.” So Wirfs is the next Mitch Trubisky, a guy that never should have been drafted in the first round to begin with? Joe hasn’t read or heard one person suggest Wirfs was not a top-ten pick.
Some people have started off the weekend way too early.
Well, now there is a report from a well-plugged in NFL insider that confirms what Licht said last night. Jeff Darlington, pride of Seminole High School, twitters that Lynch was getting pounded by calls from teams wanting his No. 13 pick to land Wirfs.
I’ve heard some wonder about Bucs decision to trade up one spot to get Wirfs — when 49ers weren’t going to take him. Bucs correctly believed multiple teams tried to move up to get Wirfs, who fell further than expected. Giving up a 4th to secure Brady’s line was an easy decision.
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) April 24, 2020
So the Bucs didn’t want to get caught with their pants around their ankles like what some folks allege to have happened last year when the Bucs appeared to lose out on an offensive lineman (though the team denies this).
April 24th, 2020 at 12:34 pm
Hated to give up the extra pick, but it was the right thing to do.
April 24th, 2020 at 12:37 pm
Maybe he will be a contributing starter before Brady and Arians are gone. One can hope right?
April 24th, 2020 at 12:37 pm
Guessing the Dolphins were offering at least a 3rd and maybe more but the 49ers wanted Kinlaw and would have likely lost him to the Falcons.
I can’t hate the move. I’d much rather have Tristan Wirfs than Austin Jackson + a 4th. At the same time I loved Kinlaw and was ready to take him if we got jumped by the Dolphins/anyone else (Eagles were rumored).
Time will tell.
April 24th, 2020 at 12:37 pm
It was a fourth round pick. Fans whining like there’s no tomorrow. I got news for ya. If the guys a good player nobody will remember about that fourth round pick.
And just say Licht sat on his hands and somebody traded ahead. All y’all know you would never live it down. So there was no way for Licht to win. Y’all worry about the wrong stuff. Worry about if Wirfs can play that’s what matters.
April 24th, 2020 at 12:39 pm
agreed, now the 2nd round we need to get that immediate impact RB.
Licht go get J Taylor and make it happen !!!!!!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 12:40 pm
Buc50
So many wanted a RT in the first and we got the guy that was voted by many the best OL of the Top-4. Wanted Thomas, but forgot about that early. SF phone probably was blowing up from other teams trying to get this guy a total steal at 13 and we made a good decision.
April 24th, 2020 at 12:41 pm
It was the right thing to do!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 12:41 pm
Smart move by Licht. And becoming a trend with Lynch. Lynch is turning into one hell of a gm.
April 24th, 2020 at 12:41 pm
Here is a list of the history of Bucs’ fourth-round draft picks.
People need to calm down. The Bucs traded a No. 14 pick and basically Ryan Smith for a guy largely expected to be a top-ten pick who may start for a decade.
Re-LAX people. Or would you prefer Tom Brady kept crippled just so Licht could draft the next Travis Stephens?
April 24th, 2020 at 12:43 pm
Everything from the Trent Williams trade rumors to the predraft talk to the trade up to get Wings tells us one thing. The Bucs were he’ll entire on upgrading the OL. That was a big part of their off-season plan. They got it done and they got one of these “Big 4” that was covered.
And several reports said the Bucs may of had a guy or two they liked just as much as the Big 4. I guess that was a load of Bull……….Though I think that rumor may have just been a attempt to save face had they not landed their guy. Had me fooled.
April 24th, 2020 at 12:45 pm
Yes Joe. They basically traded a Special Teamer that may or may not develope into a role player in 2-3 years. How dare they!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 12:49 pm
Absolutely the right move. All in!
April 24th, 2020 at 12:56 pm
Bottom line, the Dolphins were the most rumored team to trade up. Lynch by his own admission targeted Javon Kinlaw who was the only top player at a position of need created by the Buckner trade in DT. Per Lynch’s own statement a team, the Bucs, engaged with him about moving up and he figured he could still get the player he targeted and pick up an extra 4th. Kinlaw wasn’t at all likely to fall 5 more spots at the Dolphins pick. Trading up one spot is a very rare occurrence and for good reason. If the other offers are good enough to blow you away you aren’t taking relatively little to move down one spot, especially if you believe Lynch’s own admission about how they rated the guy who they were happy fell to them at 13 before the trade even occurred.
And for the “win now” crowd, there is a future HOF, 9x Pro Bowl tackle on the market in Jason Peters. If you truly care only about this year are you telling me a rookie RT is going to protect Brady better than a future HOFer at RT?
April 24th, 2020 at 12:56 pm
Really like the Wirfs pick overall for near and long term, great judgment.
Now just have to trade up tonight using Howard as leverage with either Cincy who needs a tight end, or Pats who also have same need and might still want Howard…use a 3rd in 2021 if necessary also.
For Swift! Makes the offense complete. But only Swift.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:00 pm
Tom S still crying.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:02 pm
Go play Madden Armchair. You cry worse than any female I have ever seen.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:03 pm
So I’m assuming whoever wrote this article wasn’t the one on the podcast directly after the draft questioning whether Licht was telling the truth since you’re only calling out your readers.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:08 pm
I agree with the pick 110%. I believe we got a steal. I just hated trading away prospects to move up one spot. I blame the Jets for taking a OT and screwing everything up for the Bucs.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:09 pm
I love the pick
Hopefully we do not need to move up for running back
April 24th, 2020 at 1:14 pm
Tom S…….I got one problem………On that whole ramble you just had you left out one thing. A point.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:19 pm
OK here’s a point guys.
Team A is all in for 2020 – It’s Super Bowl or Bust, which one works better for you:
Jason Peters signed at RT, Javon Kinlaw drafted at 14 to be heir apparent to Ndamokong Suh and a rotation piece on the d-line,use of a 4th round pick for WR or DB depth – release Williams Gholston for cap room.
OR
Tristan Wirfs drafted to be rookie pass protector for a 43 yr old QB subtract the 4th round pick.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:20 pm
Tom S
How much would Peters cost? We have to do some cap maneuvering by getting Gronk
April 24th, 2020 at 1:23 pm
^That would be if you missed on Wirfs in the first place. Otherwise you keep your rookie pass protector and pocket the 4th.
It reminds me of the last time the Bucs were gunning for a SB run, had a massive hole at OT and traded up for one in the first round, that was in 2001 and the player was Kenyatta Walker. Hopefully Wirfs is much better than Walker was.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:25 pm
an excerpt from story on Jags war room last night
That was the backup plan, however, and it wasn’t necessary: The Cardinals selected Simmons and, at 9:12 p.m., the Jags were officially on the clock. Caldwell, who was about to contact Henderson and inform the former Florida cornerback of his impending selection, instead fielded another call — from Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht, who was looking to move up from the 14th pick. After a very quick conversation, Caldwell said to the Khans (who were on their yacht) and Marrone (who was home with his family), “Tampa would give us a third and a fourth, and he wants us to give a 6 back. I don’t really want to give the 6 back.”
April 24th, 2020 at 1:28 pm
wow that is alot of ammo JL was going to lose for our new RT! We did good only a 4th wonder if he would of taken Becton or Wirfs. Sure turned out good considering he was bout to blow the wad
April 24th, 2020 at 1:31 pm
Gholston has 4.75 million in cap room that is free and clear if he’s released. Ryan Griffin has 1.75 million in cap room also without penalty if released. Both Lavonte David and Ryan Jensen have contracts that can be restructured as they both have no current bonus or cap hit. Kendell Beckwith’s release would clear about a million. Bradley Pinion is making 2.7 million for whatever reason, but there are many ways to create cap room for 2020 if you’re “all in” and miss on the 4th OT.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:32 pm
Tom S……..That’s not a one sided question. Even if you are head over heels in love with Peters it doesn’t mean he wants to come here. As I recall Peters lasted one stinking play last time he tried to suit up in Tampa. This heat is not for everybody.
Not to mention there could be several other reasons he does not wish to play here.
The way it looks is that the Bucs have been doing everything in their power to upgrade Tackle this year. Trent Williams rumor? Its kinda foolish to think they didn’t explore Peters too. Maybe the Bucs don’t want him?
What exactly are you second guessing the Bucs on here? That they didn’t want him or he didn’t want them? Last I checked nobody knew what the process has entailed for the Bucs…..except they tryed to trade for Williams. Do you know something we don’t?
April 24th, 2020 at 1:34 pm
Giving up our 4th rounder wasn’t bad we have the 2nd and 3rd rounds and I think we will do well. Not like we needed a lot. I think we go RB and DL tonight and we are well set for this season the 5th 6th and 7th I think will be depth players
April 24th, 2020 at 1:35 pm
And no bro. You are keeping Gholston on this team. Over my dead body do you get to release him. That’s just not gonna happen buddy.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:44 pm
Tom S,
You’re still crying about us giving up a 4th to move up 1 spot? LOL.
If anyone said the Bucs would be able to draft Wirfs in the 1st round if all they had to give up was a 4th rounder, EVERYONE would have said they’d do it in a heartbeat.
What a little crybaby you are. It’s hilarious!
Oh and as for your comments about my RB predictions, I still stick to them. I stated 1-2 RBs would be taken in the first, then a run on them early in the 2nd. CEH is off the board. Swift/Taylor/Dobbins will probably be taken before we pick 13th in Round 2. Just as I stated… if we don’t move up it’s likely we’ll be stuck with the 5th ranked RB or worse in this draft.
Anyway, quit your crying. It’s pathetic.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:46 pm
JOE,
You’re dead-on. If someone said before the Draft started the Bucs would be able to draft Wirfs if they only gave up a 4th rounder, NO ONE would turn that deal down. NO ONE.
It’s humorous that since they had to do it to move up one spot to make sure a team like the Dolphins (or another team) didn’t screw them over it has so many people sobbing over it.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:46 pm
JimmyJack, why would I question a 34-62 GM who has never come particularly close to sniffing the playoffs in 6 years? Well gee, idk, maybe it’s that he sucks at his job and turned a 12 year rebuilt into a short term window based on the health of a 43 yr old GOAT QB.
Personally i’d rather set up a veteran tackle to protect the health of the one guy who will determine whether my team makes the playoffs or not, not lead it up to a rookie who was blocking future insurance salesman from Middle Tennessee last year. It worked out well enough when the Bucs signed Roman Oben to protect Brad Johnson’s blindiside in 2002-2003, it didn’t work out so hot when Rich McKay trade up for Kenyatta Walker.
That said, I would have been totally fine with taking any of the top 4 OT’s as well if they fell, you just have to be aware that Wirfs best years in pass protection isn’t going to be his rookie year let alone without the traditional mini camp work and training camp that he would normally get. One bad misread by Wirfs and that could end Brady’s season.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:51 pm
Joe thank you for posting that. I pulled them up last night and was shaking my head. 80-90% of these 4th rounders never made any impact in the NFL, yet everyone treats them like they are gold. I pay a lot of attention to the first three rounds and then just casually pull up the players info once they are drafted in the later round. The majority of these late round picks just pan out, and if they do they really aren’t difference makers. Yes, there are some that do, but most of them certainly do not.
April 24th, 2020 at 1:51 pm
Oh look the fraudulent insider who yelled for the Bucs to draft a RB at 14 overall because surely all the good ones will be gone by the second round is back.
Any good predictions so we can expect the opposite to occur today Ivan?
April 24th, 2020 at 1:55 pm
i think it was the right move….
right now, protecting brady is a bigger priority than replacing suh….
GO BUCS!!!!
April 24th, 2020 at 2:04 pm
Tom S. You got all that from Licht trading up a single draft slot? You’re just going off the rails at this point……..Look man. It seems to me that your main point is you don’t like Licht. You loathe him. He is your scapegoat………To be honest I can’t say it’s unfair. You did after all quote his record which is appalling………
But let’s be real. Licht made a small trade up to get a tackle he wanted. We needed a tackle badly and he got one he liked.
I think your real point is you don’t care for Licht. So just spit it out. Trading a fourth isn’t really as big a deal as your making it out to be. So say you hate Licht and call it a day……There’s a bigger deal here because we just added a starting player to our roster. How good or bad Wirfs is matters much more to this conversation. You’re letting your hate for Licht get in the way of our conversation about our new Starting Left Tackle.
Trust me there will be plenty more time to hate of Licht if that what you want. But you are worrying more about a fourth round choice then a starting player for our team. That’s not what important
April 24th, 2020 at 2:06 pm
Right Tackle**” My Bad
April 24th, 2020 at 2:07 pm
49ers got lucky from a timing perspective …. Bucs did what the had to do
April 24th, 2020 at 2:16 pm
Also don’t think Licht was in this alone. BA was right there telling him when to pull the trigger and do it.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:21 pm
JimmyJack, if you’re trying to win a Super Bowl with a 43 year old QB in the middle of a pandemic where practices and field work will be severely limited, do you desperately go after a RT from Iowa so you can have a rookie tackle protecting Brady and learning on the job or do you consider that maybe a Veteran is a safer plug-n-play guy who is less likely to make a mental error that could get your QB killed.
It bothers me that Licht was desperate for a tackle in the same way McKay was in 2001. From a team building standpoint it’s great to get a young physically gifted tackle for the long term. From a win-now standpoint it’s not great to be desperate for one when you need every cheap asset you can keep because the team is looking to be capped out for the next few years.
And yes, I loathe Licht. Because he’s awful at what he does and has a history of making poorly thought out decisions.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:21 pm
Can’t fault Licht at all (though initially I was miffed about the 4th while still in a semi-drunken stupor)…small price to pay for arguably the best combo of physical traits and coached technique in this draft at the RT position.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:27 pm
A 4th is a cheap price to get a guy like Wirfs.
I like that Licht is on his game this draft.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:35 pm
Tom S so what does any of this have to do with a trading a fourth round pick? Which was your original point.
And I’m not understanding the desperate part. When you are talking draft picks and say desperate that means you reached for a player……But that’s not what happened(according to analysists not me). Wirfs wasn’t a reach he was a bonefided #14 pick. This has been called a very good Tackle class and Wirfs was considered Top Tier. We traded to get Top Tier.
And if you want a veteran we already signed one. He has tons of strating experience and can do the job if our rookie isn’t ready. You can call in all in however you want and say why we cat trust a rookie. But we you enter a Tackle rich draft and you need one it’s not a bad idea to take one. And if your smart you will have a veteran ready to go if your rookie needs grooming. The Bucs have all ends covered.
And yeah they also wanted a top level pro. That’s why we sniffed a Trent Williams trade. But we actually probably weren’t acting in desperation or we would of landed him…..at a Kings randsom………and you probably would of complained about that randsom. Now your complaining about a fourth. Would you complain if somebody jumped us and we still didn’t have a Tackle?
April 24th, 2020 at 2:38 pm
thought JL was superb but he was trying to give away a 3rd round and 4th round to move up to #9 plus round 6 from the Jags–story on nfl.com I would of been real bummed on that–as it stands it is water under the bridge and all we lost was rd 4 and have Wirfs
April 24th, 2020 at 2:41 pm
Doesn’t matter where they are drafted.
Matters WHO you draft.
Wirfs was worth the investment for Ryan Smith or Kwan or Stocker and #14.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:41 pm
Cobraboys says:
A 4th is a cheap price to get a guy like Wirfs.
I like that Licht is on his game this draft.
read the story on nfl.com –see my above post
JL in a panic saved by grace of God last night!
April 24th, 2020 at 2:42 pm
At the end of the day bro we took a traded up to take a tackle and we needed a tackle. If Wirfs flops then Licht is a bum that can’t draft worth a dam. Or our new Tackle plays good and it was a good draft pick.
Stop trying to overanalyze it. Do I want a veteran all pro in his prime? That’s a dumb question. And it doesn’t answer if I can get a All Pro in his prime..,………Which we can’t cause Peters is past his prime. And as I speculated he would not play like a All Pro because he cannot handle the sunshine.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:47 pm
Joe says:
People need to calm down. The Bucs traded a No. 14 pick and basically Ryan Smith for a guy largely expected to be a top-ten pick who may start for a decade.
read nfl.com Joe–JL was trying to give away our 3rd pick and our 4th for pick #9 thank he had the sense to ask for pick 6 otherwise we’d be out pick 3 too!
April 24th, 2020 at 2:48 pm
You making it like we had a cold choice rookie or Peters. That’s not accurate and not really relevant.
Plus did you study Peters game film last year? Because you sound very sure of yourself. I will admitt I didn’t. And no matter how hard you try and fight and argue on here you never will and never can proove that Peters has any interest in moving to Tampa…………It is fun to be a fan and second guess but at some point you do have to separate reality. Licht isn’t sitting on a video game and Peters is a free agent he can acquire by clicking R1……….Impossible to second guess an unknown option by a real life GM.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:54 pm
Kinlaw and Wirfs by all accounts were similarly rated players at their respective positions (Kinlaw often rated higher than Wirfs), I would have been happy with either of them at 14 and at pick 13, one of them was clearly going to be available.
I’ll be interested to see how Kinlaw does over his career vs Wirfs, but trading up a pick is rare and generally stupid, giving up extra draft capital so you can rely on a rookie OT without the usual offseason program is risky if your goal is the SB.
I would argue, as I did, that you could have had a better short term team with Kinlaw in the rotation and a player like Peters at RT with one of the 15 WR’s in the deepest class in memory likely falling to your Rd 4 pick. You don’t need to pay 1.20 on the dollar and there will be growing pains with Wirfs that have the potential to affect Brady far more than Kinlaw would.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:59 pm
@Tom S
You act like Javon Kinlaw was a sure thing. Sure many liked him. Even one of the Joe’s. You may have an opinion on Javon but he was no sure thing either.
Javon has bad knees missed a week of practice at the senior bowl. You also must know that he had a torn labrum in his hip that was repaired. He has medical red flags. I am sure some teams were not concerned – I am sure others were concerned. Maybe the Buc’s staff would not touch him at all because of his medicals.
You do not know.
Concerning Jason Peters, he has an injury history. He has made 9 pro bowls – but he did not make a pro bowl at age 35, age 36 or age 37. I am not sure why you are confident that an offensive lineman that has only played 64% of his teams stats in those last three years is for sure going to be a stud for the Buc’s.
Hoping that all of a sudden in 2020 that you get the Jason Peters of 2012 to 2015 years actually seems more like a fan that does not understand than a well thought out decision.
There is risk that Wirfs does not get the pro-pass protect quick enough. These college O lineman go from a 2 point stance to a 3 point stance. That is why we got Joe Haeg. He may be a little less dominant than a best version of Jason Peters. But he appears much more likely to be available to play if Wirfs does not work out.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:59 pm
Fine, then you have options like a Trent Williams trade (remember all-in right?), and worst case scenario you’ve got Haeg already in the fold and Demar Dotson waiting by the phone. Demar isn’t ideal as he’s at the end of his career but he’s seen everything on the field that Wirfs hasn’t and you could do worse to protect Brady even if you take a hit on the ground game. You also have the second round of the draft where there is Josh Jones, Ezra Cleveland and Robert Hunt still available. There were, and should always be options to fill a need.
April 24th, 2020 at 2:59 pm
These armchair GM’s are unreal. They have no idea how the draft board is set. What the team is willing to do or the backup plan. Post draft but want to criticize the move.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:00 pm
Not for nothing, but I enjoyed the above exchanges between JimmyJack and Tom S. Smart and thoughtful. Personally, I am ok with the move up one slot to get Wirfs based on solid intelligence suggesting the Dolphins were seeking to trade up as well. Whether the Niners would have moved back or not will never be known. But if Licht had called their bluff and the Fins had jumped over us and selected Wirfs then Licht would have gotten destroyed.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:03 pm
Look at the pick from the 49ers position. Surely they did have several suitors for their #13 pick, and I’d bet that some offered more than a Rnd 4 gain. BUT … SF had to have Kinlaw as a replacement for Buckner. No way the 49ers could’ve afforded to re-sign Buckner (who’s averaging $21 mil a year with the Colts in his new 4-year contract).
I’d also bet that by the time they made the swap, the 49ers felt confident that the Bucs would take Wirfs over Kinlaw. Had the Niners swapped with someone else, that other team would’ve taken Wirfs, the Bucs would’ve taken Kinlaw at #14, and SF would’ve lost out on the impact player that THEY NEEDED.
Take a good look at the 49ers roster & salary Cap situation for this year and the swap with the Bucs was a no-brainer for BOTH Jason Licht AND John Lynch. Good heads-up jockeying by BOTH of them.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:04 pm
Joe, you don’t understand the meaning of Trubisky’ed. It has nothing to do with the player and is all about the GM who got tricked into trading up one spot when nobody else wanted to trade into the position.
April 24th, 2020 at 3:07 pm
This is all a smokescreen to cover for Licht. Not one team has been named or stated it tried to trade up. This morning Licht said they were concerned someone could try to trade up. In other words, we didn’t know if anyone wanted to trade up, but we were scared it could happen.
April 24th, 2020 at 5:30 pm
Stupid move. Did you see the grin on John Lynchs face after the trade was made. Just another bonehead move from Licht.
April 24th, 2020 at 5:32 pm
Licht got Trubisky’d. Duped into moving up one spot giving up additional picks for a player that would have still been there one pick later. The 49ers weren’t trading back 5 slots to lose the guy they wanted and certainly weren’t taking Mitchel trubisky or Tristen Wirfs. Licht got played just as the Bears did years ago.