How Many Free Agents Will Bucs Want To Keep
March 8th, 2021
He knows players’ worth.
Now here is an interesting way of looking at free agency.
Over at CBS Sports, heavy metal headbanging Jason La Canfora typed a piece dripping with so much cynicism you have to wipe off your keyboard. In so many words, La Canfora says if the Bucs lose a high-profile free agent, it has nothing to do with wanting to keep the player. It has everything to do with how much a team wants to pay a player.
Don’t buy that a player is a “cap causality,” La Canfora said.
It’s about the cap … until it isn’t. And the reason so many players will be let go is because their current team does not want to use the fund currently dedicated to that player for 2021. They do not think he is worth the salary and/or bonus payment attached to his name. Otherwise, they’d make it worth his while to convert some salary to a bonus and lower his number and make it a win/win.
And in many cases the reason that player gets cut is because he doesn’t want to take less to stay when the topic is broached, and he and his agent believe they can get a better opportunity elsewhere, or they prefer to do a prove-it deal with a team they believe will put them in a better financial opportunity on the market again in 2020, when the cap should start moving up.
The reason it gets to that point is because the front office and owner do not want to pay what the contract says is due. It’s better PR to make it about the cap – it sounds better, right? – but half the teams in the NFL spent over the cap last year. It is almost always about the money.
Joe sees La Canfora working. Take the slimy Saints, for example, do they ever get under the cap? Ravens seem to be the same way. Cap, what cap?
Joe thinks the Bucs’ situation is a bit different. They know how their free agents play and mesh with the rest of the team and the coaches. It’s why they won the Super Bowl for crying out loud. The Bucs really have a rare shot at repeating — provided they keep the band together.
So Joe thinks the Bucs really do want to play the players. Reasonable amounts, that is, so they can make another Super Bowl run.
March 8th, 2021 at 10:02 am
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March 8th, 2021 at 10:04 am
It would be great to get a real primer on how the salary cap is calculated, and what’s stopping teams from sort of ignoring it. What is the punishment for ignoring the cap? I don’t know the answer.
March 8th, 2021 at 10:08 am
The number of FAs they keep depends on the price of the top 2 FAs……for example, if Godwin costs $18 million……..that would equate to 3 or 4 players.
March 8th, 2021 at 10:10 am
Restructure: Brady, Smith, Marpet, Jenson, Pinnon.
Cut: Brate, Gholston
This will net us @ $50 million additional cap dollars.
I hate to lose Brate and Gholston. But with OJ and Gronk probably coming back Brate is expandable and Gholston is a 9 year vet who is average, overpaid and expandable as well.
March 8th, 2021 at 10:30 am
Yes. I have no reason to believe they don’t get under the cap. If they’re in violation, the numbers should be published and NFL fans should raise hell.
March 8th, 2021 at 10:37 am
Don’t keep none … well except David. But I’m all in for letting them go into free agency … let them taste their value.
There’s a lot of depth in FA. And we are not bad as of right now (current roster )
Example.
Vic Beasley , Denzel perriman for $5M one year
Or Fitzgerald, Hilton , Samuel For a chance of a ring. Never know until you go to the market.
March 8th, 2021 at 11:22 am
Denzel Perriman? Was he in Training Day part 2?
March 8th, 2021 at 11:22 am
If Licht is able to keep all of the Big 8 FA, he will truly become the GM of the decade. However, IMO, either Godwin or Shaq will have to walk, even with restructuring of other players’ contracts. Just too much money for those two players. And they both deserve it!
March 8th, 2021 at 11:54 am
This article is totally myopic. Each team fields a 53 person roster under a cap of $180M. If you give Brady, Godwin, Shaq, LVD, and Evans an average of $20M per year that leaves $80M to split between 48 players. How much talent are you going to sign at less than $2M per player.
It actually does come down to cap casualties.
March 8th, 2021 at 12:06 pm
Restructure or added years: Brady, Evans, Brate, Howard, D Smith, Marpet, Jensen, Gholston, and JPP. If Brady’s restructure is anything like Big Ben’s with Pittsburgh, that’d be $18 to $19 mil saved.
Get one (or both, in a perfect world) of the big 2 (Shaq & Godwin) to sign on the dotted line, so money will be able to be pushed to next year’s cap. Example: Shaq gets $15 mil this year, $25 mil next year.
I don’t want the Bucs to have to cut Brate and Gholston, who are good football players, IMHO. There is some doubt in my mind who to keep of Brate and Howard, if it came down to having to cut a TE. The reliable one that’s not a great athlete, or the great athlete who isn’t reliable (injuries, poor hands at times).
We’ll see.
March 8th, 2021 at 12:43 pm
Someone should introduce to Jason La Canfora the concepts of a budget and “opportunity cost.”
If Joe’s rent/mortgage suddenly jumped 30%, he’d be drinking less Big Storm Brew. Not because he doesn’t value the tasty suds!
March 8th, 2021 at 12:48 pm
There are much better ways to cut corners. 🙂
March 8th, 2021 at 12:54 pm
The cap is crap. It’s a bunch of malarkey the owners use to justify there business model. Give me a napkin and 5 minutes and I’ll find enough cap room to resign whomever you like. In the end it’s about real dollars spent. These billionaires all have a budget to follow. No matter how rich you are, you won’t be rich for long if you don’t adhere to some kind of budget. Go ask jerry jones, bob craft privately they’ll all say it to a man. The cap can be manipulated in various ways to allow you to keep whomever you want. The reason they don’t always comes down to real cash spent
March 8th, 2021 at 1:10 pm
Interesting point.
The Bucs won the SuperBowl but how much $ did the team get this year with all the Covid restrictions?
We know the majority of the NFL’s funds come from the TV contracts and even now they are having a hard time getting the networks to pony up for the next round.
They lost a ton in concession money with nobody in the “THE JOINT FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE DEN OF DEPRESSION”
Merchandise sales are up but so much of it is not NFL licensed.
Do we know if and how bad the NFL has been hit financially by RONA? IMHO the TV contract renewals were a big question before COVID.
Remember even big spenders in commercials like Budweiser passed on doing Super Bowl commercials. They made the excuse of RONA being the reason, but I think the combination of sports bars across the land being closed down and sales being down in 2020 has the major factor.
March 8th, 2021 at 2:01 pm
Maybe it is just me but if I were say, LVD, and I had already made over $50 mil there is NO WAY I would want to leave Tampa.
Is there anyone here who couldn’t retire on that.
Jeeeesh at that point what is the difference between $8 mil a yr and $10mil?
March 8th, 2021 at 2:08 pm
Joe in Michigan Says:
March 8th, 2021 at 12:06 pm
Restructure or added years: Brady, Evans, Brate, Howard, D Smith, Marpet, Jensen, Gholston, and JPP. If Brady’s restructure is anything like Big Ben’s with Pittsburgh, that’d be $18 to $19 mil saved.
I like your ideas. I just wonder if the Buc’s want to extend both Tight Ends. That would be a lot of money tied into 3 tight ends assuming Gronk is back.
By the way, you asked earlier, lived in Detroit late 60’s at 7 mile and schoolcraft area. Then lived in Birmingham most of the 70’s.
March 8th, 2021 at 2:31 pm
LET GO: CG14,ShB,LVD. Keep 5 out of big 8, and sign 5 FA one year contract to replace the three good/expensive that were let go….
March 8th, 2021 at 3:27 pm
geno711: You’re probably right on the TE situation. Maybe Brate and/or Howard would take slightly less money to stay around in 2021, if the Bucs need the extra money. Glad to hear you moved on to bigger and better things than the “Mitten”.
March 8th, 2021 at 3:29 pm
I probably should’ve said “added years and restructure” would bring Brady’s salary down for 2021.
March 8th, 2021 at 4:26 pm
As many as possible and it all starts with Godwin, Shaq, LVD
March 8th, 2021 at 4:41 pm
Band doesn’t need to be together to repeat. Tighten up
March 8th, 2021 at 6:58 pm
You don’t cut Gholston. His salary is a bargain. Be led the team in QB hits. He is one of our best run defenders. Ridiculous
March 9th, 2021 at 6:04 am
Brandon: Agree on Will Gholston.