Surprising Shaq Mason Extension
May 10th, 2023
Loaded.
Joe did a double take this evening upon learning that 2022 Bucs starting right guard Shaq Mason, traded to the Texans in March, signed a fat new contract.
What?
Mason turns 30 this summer and was good for the Bucs last season, but how good was he? The Bucs had the worst rushing offense in the NFL and Mason played every game.
Apparently, the Texans think he was damn good. CBS reports Mason’s extension is three years, $36 million and includes $22 million guaranteed. Mason was due about $8.5 million this season and the Bucs dealt him and a seventh-round pick to Houston for a sixth-rounder. That avoided Mason becoming a salary cap casualty like fellow former Bucs Donovan Smith, Leonard Fournette and others.
(Joe still can’t understand why the Bucs struggled to run right behind Mason and All-Pro manbeast right tackle Tristan Wirfs last season.)
So Mason moves on and gets a hearty contract extension. His Bucs predecessor at right guard, Alex Cappa, also got a fat free agency deal a year earlier.
Joe can’t wait to see what general manager Jason Licht has up his sleeve at right guard this season. Based on today’s conversations at One Buc Palace, it appears to be rookie Cody Mauch.
May 10th, 2023 at 8:18 pm
Those Texans are pretty freaking smart.
😂😂😂
May 10th, 2023 at 8:21 pm
Not surprising to me. Shaq has been consistently rated a top 5-10 guard in the league by evaluators whose opinion I rate. Brandon Thorn etc. Bucs had to get rid of him purely due to $$$. The cost of a SB and void years. He was instantly one of the Texans best players as soon as he was traded there
May 10th, 2023 at 8:22 pm
1. Mauch played on the left side in college. Hopefully they put him at LG. Goedeke played on the right side in college. They tried him at LG and he failed. Moved him to the right side and he excelled. Hopefully the Bucs learn their lesson.
2. Leftwich ran to the right the majority of the time. He rarely tried to run behind Wirfts. Still a huge mystery.
3. Good for Mason.
May 10th, 2023 at 8:25 pm
Happy for Mason. Makes that $3M + incentives Smith had to settle for from KC look even worse. Sad that it took Licht so long to finally realize what the rest of the league has known for awhile. Interested to see the new OL group in action.
May 10th, 2023 at 9:38 pm
What kind of contract did he get? WOW. $12M per for a guard who played super average last season?
They’re smoking crack in Houston.
May 10th, 2023 at 9:50 pm
Dudes a pro bowl guard, and the Texans pay linemen well
May 10th, 2023 at 10:02 pm
^^
From what I remember, he made a pro bowl in 2017. He was not initially named to the pro bowl and was picked as an alternate.
So, it is fair to say that he is a pro bowl guard, just like it is fair to say that Jameis Winston is a pro bowl quarterback because he was named as an alternate in 2015.
May 10th, 2023 at 11:00 pm
It’s not difficult to understand that not only on a budget that they’re also implementing a new offense. Some players weren’t going to be a good fit for the new system. They’re looking for OL who are more athletic they can move in space, get to the next level. Donny and Shaq maybe good players but not right for what the Bucs are currently doing.
May 10th, 2023 at 11:03 pm
Not very smart imo to be moving Mauch from left to right. Makes the learning curve way steeper. Was a disaster with Goedeke last year. Safe to say they didn’t learn their lesson. Wirfs at LT Mauch if he can beat out the other guards at LG, Jensen at C with Hainsey backing him up unless Hainsey wins a guard spot. Stick Feiler and Goedeke on the right where Feiler has played and Goedeke is comfortable. They are overthinking things trying to have every OL play every position.
May 11th, 2023 at 12:29 am
good for Mason
May 11th, 2023 at 12:41 am
He’s a solid player. The total dollar amount seems high, but people need to understand the cap is going to go up a ton next year, and while Shaq might be more like a $9m guard this year, next year, that’s going to be $12m. It’s also why all you cupcakes throwing a fit about White wanting $20m, have literally no idea what you’re talking about.
May 11th, 2023 at 7:49 am
Mason is not a bad player at all.
But at the same time the Texans have a strange way of building a team. Last year their rookies logged some of the least amount of snaps compared to other NFL teams. Even if they were in tank mode you let your rookies play if you are rebuilding.
May 11th, 2023 at 8:05 am
With Cody Mauch playing mostly LT in college, I would have guessed he would be starting on the left side. I guess that makes sense as free agent pickup Matt Feiler played left guard for the Chargers last season.
May 11th, 2023 at 8:41 am
“Joe still can’t understand why the Bucs struggled to run right behind Mason and All-Pro manbeast right tackle Tristan Wirfs last season.”
Consider that Leftwich is gone and Canales is in. Last year, the offensive scheme sucked and the offensive play calling sucked. Brady was the only reason we even made the playoffs. No problem with Mason. The problem was Leftwich.
May 11th, 2023 at 9:23 am
Super weird imo lol
May 11th, 2023 at 9:28 am
I will keep saying it. Our Oline was handicapped by our scheme and play calling last year. They will be much better just based off of that.
May 11th, 2023 at 10:48 am
DeMeco Ryan’s >>>>> Toad’s Bloweszo
May 11th, 2023 at 11:28 am
^^^
Let’s hold off on DeMeco Ryans greatness.
People loved Bobby Patrino, Chip Kelly and even Nathaniel Hackett last year before those guys coached a single game in the NFL.
May 11th, 2023 at 12:49 pm
Basically, the Bucs lost the Mason trade to Belichick.
May 11th, 2023 at 5:13 pm
You still haven’t been able to figure out that the struggles in the run game had something to do with the guy you wanted fired all last year? That’s weird. Because it had something to do with the guy you wanted fired all last year.