Racing Against The Clock
March 7th, 2022
Trying to beat deadline to re-sign Ryan Jensen.
Let’s just say Ryan Jensen is in the driver’s seat.
The Bucs’ free agent and Pro Bowl center is a wanted man. Several reports have a number of teams heavy breathing in the hopes that Jensen hits the open market. But will that happen?
Per Jeremy Fowler of BSPN, the Bucs are trying “hard” to work something out with Jensen before the free agency dinner bell rings a week from Wednesday. If Jensen makes it to March 16 as a free man, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht is going to have to fight off all kinds of teams waving cash in Jensen’s face.
I’m told the Bucs will try hard to get something done with Jensen. They feel he’s among the best centers in the league, maybe the best, when in their system. If that costs $15 million per year — which it very well might — then that might be worth it. The same goes for Jason Kelce with Philly, as far as the system fit. He could do another one-year deal this offseason.
The way Joe sees it, Jensen is now looking for a payday. Again. He’s got his ring. And now he’s looking at one more big contract.
Let’s be honest, how did the Bucs acquire Jensen in the first place? Licht showed him the money, and still it took a heavy sales pitch. Remember, he was coming from a team used to winning and playing in playoff games — and going to a bad team that was in the deep throes of the Lost Decade.
It’s not like Jensen came to play for the Bucs to wear those heinous Jameis Winston uniforms and lose and lose and lose all because he liked to eat Cuban sandwiches.
So if the Bucs plan to keep Jensen, the Bucs are going to have to show him Team Glazer’s wallet or franchise him.
And Joe has a hunch Jensen’s agent knows just how popular he is nowadays throughout NFL circles.
March 7th, 2022 at 12:04 am
The best center ? With what QB …
Its stupid.
March 7th, 2022 at 12:39 am
Didn’t he come here because we were going to have him play center and The Ravens wanted him to return to guard or something like that
March 7th, 2022 at 1:05 am
He doesn’t want to block our trash QBs and continually lose for the foreseeable future. If we don’t get someone decent in at qb there will be a mass exodus.
March 7th, 2022 at 1:18 am
Jensen is on the wrong side of 30. Third contracts almost inevitable end up being overvalued as the body begins to break down.
March 7th, 2022 at 1:38 am
If they sign him it’s because bigger things are coming. A dark horse qb.
March 7th, 2022 at 3:58 am
‘Let’s be honest, how did the Bucs acquire Jensen in the first place? Licht showed him the money’.
You nailed it Joe. But in the final analysis, I’d say that applies to most football players (not all, but the vast majority). It’s a business, and they have every right to seek the highest compensation for their services.
Personally think that Jensen is a goner. Bucs’ priority in free agency will be Godwin, and that’ll take in the $15-$20 mil range. Next priority will be TWO QBs to throw in to the QB competition. After that, re-signing Cappa AND Stinnie, and probably adding a FA Guard/Center to them to provide competition & flexibility to our OLine. Also think we’ll make a strong push for Lenny Fournette (as well as Gio), but that may not work. Of course, someplace in there we’ll have to focus on our TE position group also (grabbing at least 1 TE via FA).
On the defensive side, re-signing Whitehead will also be a Bucs’ high priority, as will be re-signing Gholston. Still have a hunch that we MIGHT want to keep Suh AND JPP in play for 2022, at the right price & assuming either/both are interested in finishing out their careers here (good chance they will be IMO). But I think that most of the major ‘improvements’ and ‘hole-filling’ on our defense will be done via the draft (as a minimum CB, DT, DE/OLB). In any event, JL has his hands full.
March 7th, 2022 at 6:41 am
Joe, I love how you find a way to “Blame Jameis” with the uniforms as if he designed them.
March 7th, 2022 at 7:20 am
Truth is you can draft a good center too. If Trask is the future, get that guy now. If it’s Hainsey, they both now have a year under their belt same class. If we’re moving to the future, than move. If Jensen was under 30 I’d say do it. I’m not giving a 31 year old center a 5 year deal worth more than 15 million a year.
March 7th, 2022 at 7:40 am
Jensen is a good player, but paying $15M a year for a 31 year old center is bad business.
March 7th, 2022 at 10:28 am
15 million for Jensen!?! No way! We need to keep to Licht’s strengths and let him draft what he’s good at (both sides of the line), while getting already good corners in free agency.
March 7th, 2022 at 10:39 am
There is significant difference in signing a 26 y.o. C to a big contract where he played very well in those 4 years, and doing the same thing with a 31 y.o.
It’s one thing to look in the rear-view mirror at good performance and expect an older player to do the same thing into the future. Especially a guy who doesn’t exactly abide by a TB12 youth-regeneration conditioning system.
I like Jensen. A lot. But seems casual fans are all too ready to think a players’ performance will last forever when the reality is it won’t. I admire Belichick for moving on from players before they slip and their $$$ begins to hurt the team.
IMO, $15-17, with a bunch of guaranteed $$$ shoved into the future is bad business and frankly goes against how the bunch managed the cap in the past. The vast majority of players re-doing their contracts to create cap space are guys they knew would play well to the end of that deal so no dead cap.
IMO, a long-term dealio with Jensen has “dead cap” written all over it.
If the Bucs can’t get a high-profile, proven QB under center—and it does NOT look like that will happen—it’s time to shed older player and get younger to make another run in a couple of years.