Bucs Making Cap Moves
September 25th, 2021
Bucs GM Jason Licht.
As the noon games today have just kicked off, Joe brings some interesting news about the Bucs.
It seems Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is preparing for something. What that is remains a mystery.
Per Field Yates of BSPN, Licht restructured Ali Marpet’s contract.
The Buccaneers converted $5M of G Ali Marpet’s contract into a guaranteed roster bonus (while adding two void years to his deal), creating $4M in cap space for 2021.
Marpet’s cap charge increases by $1M for each of the next 4 years.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 25, 2021
So, is this a sign the Bucs will make a run at cornerback Richard Sherman? Or just clearing space in case there is a horrible injury and the Bucs need to make a trade?
Joe wouldn’t pull the trigger on Sherman yet (unless his agent offered a deal so good you want his name on the contract before they both sober up).
Jamel Dean played much better against the Dixie Chicks last week. If the Bucs can beat the Rams tomorrow, and the pass defense doesn’t get roasted, maybe Sherman isn’t needed?
Of course, a lot has to do with Sean Murphy-Bunting’s diagnosis, the results of which have yet to be made public.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:18 pm
Even if SMB comes back we still need Sherman.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:28 pm
Looking at our salary CAP situation PRIOR to restructuring Marpet, Bucs were in BAD shape … at MINUS $585K. What we did with Marpet MAY be enough to sign an average Joe CB off the street (no pun intended Joe), but seriously doubt Sherman’s agent would even talk to JL for that kind of money.
And oh BTW, we just aggravated an already dire 2022 (and beyond) Bucs’ salary CAP situation. But that’s tomorrow’s concern, not today’s.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:28 pm
Not so sure Sherman has what it takes anymore.
Maybe at league minimum with bonuses for a year?
September 25th, 2021 at 12:30 pm
DR
Perhaps they’re banking on a sizeable increase for next year?
September 25th, 2021 at 12:31 pm
IF Sherman can still run, I’m for it.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:34 pm
I miss the good old times when we had no salary cap issues.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:35 pm
sherman probably signs on monday or tuesday
September 25th, 2021 at 12:35 pm
Dr sorry but I trust the Bucs cap people more than you. And also you don’t know what our cap situation will be in the future.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:37 pm
R Sherman on speed Dial. Help is needed, love him or hate him, whatever, if he signs with the Bucs, it upgrades the Secondary.
Time will tell what it looks like. The Bucs NEED a confident vet presence in the Secondary Room during the week and on the field for game days.
GO BUCS!!!!
September 25th, 2021 at 12:38 pm
Well if they’re going to sign the need to do it as soon as possible so they can get them through the covid protocols
September 25th, 2021 at 12:39 pm
Seems like Sherman brings an awful lot of baggage. And may yet be suspended?
Worth it?
September 25th, 2021 at 12:41 pm
ricky: No salary cap issues, and 6-10 seasons. I’ll take salary cap issues and Super Bowls all day.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:41 pm
25 year old Gareon Conley > 33 year old Richard Sherman
September 25th, 2021 at 12:42 pm
Casual Observer: Was Antonio Brown worth it?
September 25th, 2021 at 12:44 pm
So, Richard Sherman isn’t better than Ross Cockrell?
September 25th, 2021 at 12:45 pm
If you want the Bucs to sign somebody worse than Jamel Dean, than Conley is an option.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:52 pm
Sherman has lost a lot of speed and is the slowest CB in the league by far. He can no longer cover man. He is probably looking to play safety somewhere.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:55 pm
I think if he can still play, his leadership in the back end would be impactful. So it all depends on his injury recovery and legal prognosis; and what he has left.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:57 pm
Joe In MI, I’m going to assume you are a Wolverines fan . I hate OSU too , but Conley is 8 years younger and is much more athletic than Sherman ever was . Sherman has skill and experience , but his legs are shot.
September 25th, 2021 at 12:58 pm
smb must be really messed up and their keeping it under wraps…
otherwise he should be returning in 2-3 weeks and there’d be no need for any of this…
smb is prolly gone till december
September 25th, 2021 at 1:02 pm
Where did the money from Evans’ restructure go?
September 25th, 2021 at 1:05 pm
Sherman would be able to remove any 2nd WR on the opponents team. I think he is too old now to ask him to cover and take out 1st WRs. Is he worth the pick up? You bet he is. His experience and knowledge of the game will only enhance the young Bucs secondary allowing it to grow at a much faster pace than on it’s own.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:12 pm
I do not think we need Sherman here but that would be funny as hell to see him on the same team as Brady and win a ring with Brady lmao
September 25th, 2021 at 1:21 pm
I agree with Adam and Joe: this is for Sherman, and hooray.
The 49ers dropped out yesterday, and Pete Carroll said Monday they’re not in on him–he traded for Sidney Jones a month ago for CB depth.
Sherman was the top rated corner in 2019, and played at a high level last year.
SMB is not coming back in two weeks, and even when he does, there is inadequate depth for a SB run– Cockrell isn’t fast enough.
Sherman needs to take short money for this year to showcase himself. Where better?
September 25th, 2021 at 1:26 pm
No to Sherman !
My vote
September 25th, 2021 at 1:30 pm
Better CBs out there than Sherman.
I know we are win now, but We could get younger, better bang for our buck.
IF we need a CB.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:32 pm
I like the Richard Sherman pickup, provided he’s not looking at a long suspension from Goodell for his really stupid drunken actions with his family that resulted in multiple criminal charges.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:33 pm
At this point I’m inclined to trust the brain trust of this team. If in fact they do grab Sherman I’m pretty sure they would have done their homework. It could end up being a signing akin to the JPP signing albeit probably nowhere near as impactful.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:33 pm
But I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if this is for a CB not named Sherman.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:33 pm
Ryan T Baker: It’s nothing against Ohio State players, I’ve seen Conley play and just don’t think he’s very good. IF Sherman can still run, I believe he’d be an upgrade, and he’d also be able to take Dean under his wing.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:40 pm
Didn’t they already free up $9m from Evans? So this is another $5m.
I can’t imagine you’d pay Sherman much more than veteran minimum, if they’re thinking he’s a big money guy then I don’t get it. Maybe they’re clearing money for a trade, to get a veteran. Maybe Stephon Gilmore? I can’t foresee the Patriots trading him to the Bucs before their game.
The other big name… is Chandler Jones still available? He wanted out of Arizona to start the year, no idea if that has changed or not. If it hasn’t changed, if he still wants out, the Bucs would need to free up $5m or so in addition to trading JPP. Of course JPP not being 100% would make it hard to do – but JPP and probably a 2nd and maybe a 3rd might get it done. Just speculation however, I doubt the Cards, during the season, would trade Jones in the conference.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:42 pm
Could be multiple moves to be honest – could see them trying to get an edge guy if they know JPP’s shoulder is more serious than they’ve led on to the public.
Tryon definitely has a lot of potential and we’re lucky we drafted him, but he’s pretty bad in the run game. They ran right at him in Atlanta a handful of times and it worked everytime. I’d expect the Rams to take that to another level this week.
I’d be surprised if the corner is Sherman as well, we lost Sean Murphy Bunting, not Carlton Davis. Sherman nor Jamel Dean can play slot the way SMB can.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:46 pm
No to Sherman!…you all forget this guy has no problem criticizing his own coaches in public and in front of cameras. I believe he’ll be a disruptive voice in the locker room. Plus he is not the player nowadays that he used to be. And on top of that, he’s not gonna settle for small money. Bad move (IMHO) if we sign him.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:57 pm
Sherman’s better days are behind him. I’d look elsewhere.
September 25th, 2021 at 1:59 pm
Michigan Joe – My response is that we may have been lucky with Brown. He certainly was worth it – amazing talent. I wouldn’t group him with Sherman though – AB is a future HOF. Could be wrong of course; maybe Sherman will shape up – as Brown did. Hard to know. It is a risk though.
September 25th, 2021 at 2:07 pm
He’s played in three Super Bowls. How “disruptive” can he be?
September 25th, 2021 at 2:08 pm
Sherman claims he’s lost 15lbs and is feeling like he did before the Achilles. He claims the weight gain was a problem with the 9ers, he couldn’t lose it, but now has. He’s back to 195 from 208-210. Big plus. He said the weight affected acceleration and change of direction.
People said Brady, Brown, and Gronk’s “better days” were behind them, too.
I just saw an interview on Touchdown Wire that was very interesting. He did say he’s not had any discussions with the NFL about the July incident, but maybe his agent has.
If the price is right I’d be OK with giving the guy a shot.
I have always thought Richard Sherman was a high-IQ, articulate guy.
September 25th, 2021 at 2:08 pm
Love the idea of trading for a good corner on a bad team.
September 25th, 2021 at 2:09 pm
Likely paid the practice squad players.
Yes, the Bucs were that backed up against the cap.
September 25th, 2021 at 2:20 pm
@ Cobra
I agree 100%. If the price is right and the guy can still ball I’m down…
I’m not buying the “this guy is a locker room cancer” BS. We handled AB just fine we can surly handle Sherman.
September 25th, 2021 at 2:34 pm
Sherman is not going to play at the same level that he had prior to the Achilles tear, though any weight loss is encouraging.
Give the man a plane ticket and work his ass out.
Sherman was never a locker room cancer, I don’t know where that crap came from. There was friction between the Seattle defense and Russ Wilson, much of that caused by the obvious favoritism by Pete Carroll. The resident crazy on the Legion of Boom was Earl Thomas, by a landslide.
Sherman was never the quickest CB but he’s very smart. He understands the situation on each play and doesn’t get suckered on double moves. Though he was Cover 3, he could also play good man defense prior to the Achilles surgery. I have doubts about his man defense based on the eye test, but then that’s why you’d want to give him a serious workout prior to signing.
September 25th, 2021 at 3:02 pm
@Rod–Sometimes you say the damnedest things..
September 25th, 2021 at 3:10 pm
Sherman will be just as bad as signing djax – PASS!
September 25th, 2021 at 3:23 pm
Shermean would contribute more in meetings and in practice than he would on the field imo.
September 25th, 2021 at 3:30 pm
Whatever our GM, TB12 wants, get him that player.
September 25th, 2021 at 3:33 pm
Nobody on here even knows if the dude can run anymore, but in typical Bucs fan fashion, the horde recognizes Sherman by name and starts salivating over what the guy did a decade ago.
I don’t have a big problem with signing him, IF he has any legs left. If his legs are gone he’ll just be out there getting called for defensive holding every other 3rd down.
September 25th, 2021 at 3:37 pm
So doing some searches, here’s what I find on the cap and practice squad players…
——–
There is no limit to how much a team can pay a player on the practice squad, although the practice squad contracts do count against the salary cap.
— OR —
Practice squad players aren’t available to play in games, don’t count towards the 53-man roster, and don’t count towards the team’s salary cap.
———
The 53-man roster rule is the one I’ve always heard. Was that changed last year or fairly recently to where practice squad can make more, but it counts against the cap?
September 25th, 2021 at 3:38 pm
I’ll take salary cap issues and Super Bowls all day too!
If we can get Richard Sherman, we go get him because he upgrades our secondary right away.
I agree with CobraBoy, lets give Sherman a shot, especially since he lost weight.
September 25th, 2021 at 3:52 pm
If you’re going to sign Sherman, at the very least you make him come in and run for you, and time his 40. If he’s running a 4.8 or 4.9 40, I’m not signing him. Remember it was Gruden wanting Andre Rison that cause him to go the Glazers and throw a fit to get Rich McKay fired. Rison, repeatedly, couldn’t even break a 5.0 40, and McKay refused to signed hm.
As for Sherman, I’d be thinking him purely as a backup and insurance. If people are thinking he’s going to play a lot of minutes or get more than a couple of million, then no thanks, I’m out. Sherman was once a great player, no doubt, but if you can’t run, you can’t play corner, no matter how smart you are. If we’re just going to sign guys who are smart and can’t run, let’s call Ronde out of retirement.
September 25th, 2021 at 4:00 pm
75% Richard Sherman is fine for the way teams are attacking the Bucs. His instincts and knowing where the ball is going is better than any cornerback currently on the team. As long as he isn’t expected to shut down number one receivers and helps cover all the sideline and flat routes that the current cornerbacks are not covering I’m fine with that of course also with a moderate salary
September 25th, 2021 at 4:02 pm
@Rod: Ronde Barber was a slow CB. Running was not his game. Smart and tough was his game.
Many 4.2 corners get burned, and many 4.4-4.5 corners stick like glue.
September 25th, 2021 at 4:22 pm
Cobraboy – no, I wasn’t calling Ronde slow as a player, I’m saying Ronde right now, as a 46-year old. Ronde should be a first ballot HOFer. I was saying if Sherman can’t break a 5.0, don’t sign him, and if you’re going to sign him anyways, even if he can’t run anymore, then just sign Ronde at that point. I was being sarcastic, but not really.
September 25th, 2021 at 4:26 pm
Gilmore wants out of New England
September 25th, 2021 at 4:28 pm
For God’s sake, Sherman’s Achilles was four years ago and pretty much a nonissue. Yes, he’s old, but last year’s chronic calf muscle is of more concern.
The point is, he has unequalled anticiption. The past two years , lacking quickness, he still prevented 75% first down conversions thrown in his direction, playing off man–we could use that. He only played 5 games last year, but gave up 87 yards on 202 snaps, second best in the NFL, after being first in 2019. I hope to deteriorate like that.
September 25th, 2021 at 4:33 pm
Sherman can still run but he’s just not as fast
September 25th, 2021 at 4:45 pm
Ok stop talking about Gilmore. We got the Patriots QB and TE. No way they are trading us more pieces to win another SB with. We are not on the list of teams they are talking to with that trade.
And quit worrying about CAP. We got Tom Brady. He will restructure whatevers necessary to get the players we need. Did it for years in NE…….If it means we gotta use a rookie QB(or a dog like the Saints are doing) for a year to clear up money. Big deal.
And when it comes to worrying about next year keep an eye on D. Smith. Hes gagged up 2 fumbles in 2 games…..Luckily Tom saved one. If we can replace him it might be time to move on…….And Ive defended Donovan over the years. This would be a pure money decision and Tom has some pull around the league so it might be easier to find a replacement then you think.
September 25th, 2021 at 5:35 pm
We’re talking about a 1 year deal to help shore up our secondary for another playoff run. If he can help us do that I don’t really see the downside. Not like we’re selling our future for him.
September 25th, 2021 at 5:51 pm
A lot of people didn’t want AB and his baggage.
September 25th, 2021 at 8:49 pm
Sherman wont get huge money anywhere, he wants a ring. He isnt as good as he was in his younger days but would still be a huge improvment for the secondary.
No brainer
September 25th, 2021 at 11:37 pm
I agree, they do not need to rush out and sign Sherman. Dean and all the DB played much better week two. See what happens this week. And, like Joe said, we have no idea how long SMB is out. If it’s a couple more weeks, all is well. If it’s months and months that changes things.
Personally I don’t like Sherman in this locker room. He tends to focus on a lot of crap besides football. Plus I don’t know how much he really has left.
September 26th, 2021 at 11:30 am
Where are people getting the Richard Sherman/problem in the locker room stuff? If you have any information on this, please send the link.
September 26th, 2021 at 11:44 am
Depending on the money. I would also go with vet. min. plus bonuses. I would take a flyer on Conley also.