Cam Brate And Playoff Lenny Bid Tampa Bay Farewell, Sort Of
March 18th, 2023
Former Bucs TE Cam Brate.
Fans have known for many weeks that long-time Bucs tight end Cam Brate was not coming back to the team in 2023. Yesterday, the Bucs made it official.
Perhaps because it wasn’t official, Brate, who doesn’t post a lot on social media, had been pretty quiet. After the official release was issued (along with the official release of Playoff Lenny), Brate, third all-time in Bucs franchise history in touchdown catches, broke his silence on Instagram.
Brate wasn’t the only man breaking his silence. So too did Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht in a statement about the contributions of both Brate and Playoff Lenny during the Super Bowl run.
Joe doesn’t think we’ve seen the last of Playoff Lenny on the football field. Remember, it was just one year ago that Bill Belicheat nearly got Playoff Lenny out of Tampa to play for him.
Playoff Lenny.
With Brate, Joe isn’t so sure. Injuries really began to pile up for him, and he turns 32. He’s married, lives in South Tampa and his wife has a thriving real estate business.
Joe remembers talking with Brate at length after the playoff loss to the Cowboys. He said retiring was an option.
With his economics degree from Harvard, Brate doesn’t need to get the sh!t beat out of him anymore to make a decent living.
As for Playoff Lenny, he only had the following to say on Instagram on Friday with a photo of him running in a Bucs No. 7 jersey:
“See y’all real soon.”
So yesterday was officially the end for two classy Bucs. They helped bring the area a Super Bowl ring. Their work won’t be forgotten.
March 18th, 2023 at 12:09 am
Lenny is going to be a Saint. His see ya soon comment is going to look different when that happens.
March 18th, 2023 at 12:13 am
Lenny, take a pay cut and come back. With an offensive coordinator that understands how to craft blocking mechanisms for you, it won’t be so hard.
You know yore playing for a lot less now, amd Zeke is out there. Just come back.
March 18th, 2023 at 12:19 am
Always thought brate was a good buc…as for Lenny, luv the dude #7 but if r.white looks just as good as you then mise well save the dough and cut bait..good luck and see you soon
March 18th, 2023 at 12:41 am
Brate belongs in the Ring of Honor
March 18th, 2023 at 1:00 am
Brate is one of the better UDFA finds in Bucs history, maybe the best.
March 18th, 2023 at 1:52 am
Lenny will probably go to Buffalo or another SB contending team
March 18th, 2023 at 2:05 am
Cam Brate is a bona fide, true legit, 100%, straight up, class A dude.
March 18th, 2023 at 7:02 am
See y’all real soon could mean signing will another nfc team, hope not because dude Is a hard downfield runner if he can find daylight.
March 18th, 2023 at 7:06 am
Loved the Brate quote from Licht. As for Lenny, very talented, but he played hard.. when he felt like it. I won’t miss him.
March 18th, 2023 at 8:07 am
Will miss Brate, but he’s time has passed. Lenny not so much.
March 18th, 2023 at 8:34 am
@Sasquatch
By far the best. The only other UDFA find that comes remotely close is 2010 Blount and Mike Bennett, but both got run out of town by Greg Schiano. Iirc, Brate is tied 3rd/5th with Kennan McCardell in all-time post season TDs for the Bucs.
March 18th, 2023 at 9:42 am
I was never a Brate Fan, and was shocked when Licht gave him that huge contract.
Not sad to see him go
March 18th, 2023 at 9:48 am
I’m happy that both of them got a Superbowl ring!! They will both be remembered here!!!
March 18th, 2023 at 10:11 am
Let Lenny be a Saint. He’s the easiest RB to bring down in the NFL… not to mention one of the slowest. Our defense needs a break too.
March 18th, 2023 at 10:31 am
Who cares lazy lenny is a quitter
March 18th, 2023 at 12:13 pm
Brate is smart enough to know he should hang it up. From a physical standpoint, he’s done. The reason he was an UDFA was because his mesurables weren’t very good, and as he’s gotten older, that’s only become more of an issue. He never could get open vs man coverage, but he was really good at finding spots in zones and didn’t drop anything. But over the last few years he’s clearly lost a step, and started to drop passes, plus he can’t block.
He had a great career for someone with his abilities.
March 18th, 2023 at 2:34 pm
I agree with Brate for RoH, 3 in Bucs receiving TDs.
March 18th, 2023 at 4:03 pm
He went from Lombardi Lenny to Lasagna Lenny in the blink of an eye. RIP
March 18th, 2023 at 4:14 pm
Good luck Cam. Thanks for many good memories.
Good luck Lenny.
March 18th, 2023 at 6:43 pm
Lenny is waaay good enough to keep, we just can’t afford him. Plus we no longer have Bruce to give him tough love. He also has “itchy feet” and requested to leave. I hope he picks the right team and gets another SB win, but if not, I will still enjoy watching him play.
March 19th, 2023 at 2:18 am
Cam Brate was great addition to the team but after that concussion last year, I was afraid he might have a permanent disability. He needs to call it a career and take care of himself for his wife and kids. Maybe Brate will get into coaching or front office given he has an economics degree. He is certainly a very intelligent guy. Best memory…catching the Super Bowl trophy from Tom Brady in the Super Bowl boat parade.
Leonard Fournette came back from being cut by Jacksonville to lead the Bucs to a Super Bowl. His strong running style, soft hands and blocking were key to Tom Brady’s renaissance with the Bucs. Hope he can catch on with a contender and earn another ring. Buffalo? New England? Philadelphia? Chargers?
He’s got a few more years left in the tank. Best memory….. That long run where Fournette dragged a dozen guys with him like he was a mini Marshawn Lynch or Mike Alstott for a play.
Gentlemen, good luck to both of you and thank you for your contributions to the Bucs. You were pros pros and as fans, we enjoyed watching you play. Both were class acts.
March 19th, 2023 at 4:53 am
As for UDFA I will always go with the late George Yarno. Dude wasn’t supposed to make it out of training camp. …Lasted 8 years for our beloved Bucs.