Franchise Tag Smokescreens
February 20th, 2024
Joe loves this time of year. It’s when team executives across the NFL are lying profusely, telling half-truths at all times and feeling good about doing it.
Therefore, Joe had to chuckle at the Tampa Bay Times report yesterday claiming the Bucs only will slap the franchise tag on All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. — if they use the tag at all.
Only one player can get the franchise tag per season. So that means thinking, intelligent fans are supposed to believe, per the report, the Bucs will let pending free agent quarterback Baker Mayfield walk out of One Buc Palace because, well, the Bucs can’t win without their top safety, the playmaker in what was one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses last season.
That’s laughable. And it smells to Joe like the Bucs puffed quality cigar smoke in the direction of the twice-weekly community newspaper. Or perhaps someone at One Buc has a medical card?
Sure, the Bucs want Winfield and might franchise tag him. But to think the Bucs won’t make sure Mayfield returns is to believe Team Glazer either hates Todd Bowles, believes Bowles is the right head coach to develop a rookie QB or doesn’t think QB play is paramount.
The franchise tag window opens today and lasts about two weeks. Rest assured the Bucs will use the tag on Mayfield if necessary.
Hopefully, it doesn’t come down to that expensive one-year option.
February 20th, 2024 at 7:26 am
Gotta sign Evans first. Without Evans, Mayfield goes, and if we franchise Mayfield with Evans gone, Mayfield will go from last season’s average performance to his historic below-average performance.
February 20th, 2024 at 7:34 am
How about slapping Baker with the transition tag? That allows the Bucs to match any offer, or get draft compensation if he leaves? Bucs should not bid against themselves.
February 20th, 2024 at 7:57 am
Agree with Hodad transition tag is the way to go save 5 mil versus franchise tag. Because no team in the NFL is going to pay Mayfield 31 mil but us. But that doesn’t leave much for Evans and Winfield. If the bucs sign all three and push the money down the road we will have a huge payroll just to have a mediocre team.
February 20th, 2024 at 8:09 am
We should be spending top dollar on pass rushers, not defensive backs. How we spend all that money on two cornerbacks, have an all pro safety, and still have the worst pass defense in the league? It’s because pass rushers are more important to having a good pass defense than defensive backs.
February 20th, 2024 at 8:18 am
Well, looks like Stroud is not liked by the Joe’s……
February 20th, 2024 at 8:22 am
Dr. Stroud.
February 20th, 2024 at 8:30 am
“Well, looks like Stroud is not liked by the Joe’s……”
Joe often gets a big scoop. Stroud is well connected and often gets them too. Competition in action. Winner: all of us readers.
February 20th, 2024 at 8:49 am
I dont know how you let Evans to get away. If you lose him, Mayfield and Winfield won’t matter until maybe a few years from now and the team gets a whole new face because they let their best player slip away!! Those 2 might be cheaper to put the tag on but without Evans you lose the offense, likely the team
February 20th, 2024 at 9:28 am
I said before Evans can make a mediocre QB look like a pro bowl QB. Buyer beware on Mayfield!
February 20th, 2024 at 9:30 am
Ahhh Ethan Ethan, I can see right through your agenda, your very clear axe to grind, making an intellectually dishonest assessment of Mayfield’s year with an unclear mind. I love today’s culture that you have to have an extreme stance on one side or the other with no middle ground or what even constitutes as normal discourse. I am not suggesting that Baker Mayfield is Joe Burrow or Josh Allen for one, and I feel sad that I even have to lob a qualifier like that for the stupid humans out there that may interpret my defense of Mayfield as thinking he’s f’ing Joe Montana, but with that out of the way – you cannot, with a straight face suggest that throwing for 340 in the divisional round of the playoffs as average. You cannot with a straight face suggest that a 28/10 split with 4k yards is average. What is your deal anyway. Did a mere couple of years of Brady all of a suddent make you entitled to infinite years of greatness at the quarterback position? Or are you under the drunken belief that Trask would throw for 6 thousand yards and 55 touchdowns if Trask would somehow be given a chance
February 20th, 2024 at 9:36 am
Wrong as usual
February 20th, 2024 at 9:49 am
The best thing to do with Evans is non exclusive franchise tag. The price is under just under 21 million. If someone signs him we get two first round picks. We have to take a dead cap from his past contract but if he signs with us our someone else we have to take that hit anyway. If we tag Evans he no longer has all the leverage.
February 20th, 2024 at 10:01 am
@gofortheface30: Baker Mayfield has NEVER lost to Joe Burrow.
February 20th, 2024 at 10:33 am
Ethan Says:
February 20th, 2024 at 7:26 am
Gotta sign Evans first. Without Evans, Mayfield goes, and if we franchise Mayfield with Evans gone, Mayfield will go from last season’s average performance to his historic below-average performance.
‐—————
You really need to go take a deeper look at Baker’s career because out of 6 years, Mayfield has 3 good seasons when healthy: 2018, 2020 and 2023. He has 1 terrible year marred by injury, 1 bad year (in hindsight, the Panthers make everyone look bad tbh) and 1 below average year (with Kitchens). His historic average would be in between his rookie and 2020 season stats, which is still like top 15 in the league. It’s like people forget the 2018 and 2020 season existed and pretens he played his entire career as poorly as he played last season
February 20th, 2024 at 10:34 am
As poorly as he played in 2022*
February 20th, 2024 at 10:58 am
You have to ask yourself…”How did we put ourselves in this position?”
Well…..we spent so much money we can’t afford our best players…….
Shaq, Jensen, Gage, Davis, Dean…..and the Ghost of Brady eating up cap.
February 20th, 2024 at 11:05 am
Evans is a great WR. The best in Buc History.
Hes been here a long time.
And in his prime, we were a losing team.
Because WRs dont win games.
With Jameis, Evans caught alot of balls, for alot of yardage.
And watched the playoff sitting on his couch.
Wrs are tools in the Carpenters toolbox. So are running backs,TEs, and offensive linemen.
QBs are the Carpenters. Brady was a great one. Mayfield is a great one.
Dont get me wrong,a carpenter needs good tools.
But great tools dont work well with a bad Carpenter.
If Evans wants too much, we’ll have to let him go. We’ll find another great Wr.
One that has played with bad QBs, and will be excited to play with Baker.
There arent great QBs floating around.
February 20th, 2024 at 11:46 am
Canales nor Evans made Baker look good. Y’all are STILL some morons.
February 20th, 2024 at 12:00 pm
spot on Capt. Tim
February 20th, 2024 at 12:51 pm
You guys are living in the 90s if you think Baker throwing for anything less than 4k and 30 TDs are great seasons. He had 1, one, ONE good season before last year. 22TDs and 21 Ints is NOT a good season. Period.
How about 50 TDs from Brady and Manning and Mahomes and Brees.
Last year was a down year for QBs.
As far as Winfield getting the tag, it’s because it costs the least THIS YEAR.
Do you guys think after last year and trying to win with no money, that they are going to immediately kick the can n Baker and Mike so we find ourselves in that same situation again in 3 years. That’s what is laughable.
Tampa can still sign Winfield after tagging him.
They went years without using the Tag at all.
Spending 36 million on Baker for one year is basically equal to eating Bradys dead cap for last year. Why do that again either. Let’s hope this team has learned their lesson.
February 20th, 2024 at 2:10 pm
This is what i would do. I know people dont want to say it. But we need to let Evans walk.
And Baker. Tag Winfield Jr. Cut Shaq and either trade Dean or Davis. Witch ever one saves us thes us the most money. Let Devin White walk as well. Try and sign Lavonte David for one more year. Pick up Brain Burns in free agentcy to replace Barrett. Get Whitehead back to pair eith winfield jr. Draft Penix jr and the Wr colemen from Fsu. Get a cheap free agent to pick up yhe slack for the Corner we lost. Find us a center and Guard in the draft. LIGHT is really good fimding guys from small schools that people over look. And of course het our kicker back. Go the youth movement. And in two years we can be competeing for years to come. And i havent forgot about Wirlfs. Hes not due untill next season. Franchise him next year.
February 20th, 2024 at 2:27 pm
Wondering how many top tier QBs have had a 158.3 perfect passer rating cause if shaker baker is below average how the hell did he pull that off in green bay & know other opposing QB has ever don’t that.i guess u can call that mediocre if u r a (MORON) hows bout the pro bowl him winning the QB precision passer against cj Stroud what a mediocre QB Baker is rite on
February 20th, 2024 at 2:36 pm
Baker is 28 fool not 45 yrs old,& my calculation has baker with 3 good years & like many good QBs they don’t have to have Lamar jackson seasons to excel in the post season so it looks like to me if baker can get us to the playoffs his stock rises exponentially seems like he excels at the rite times that’s what makes top QBs the top money grabbers give baker a good contract & let’s watch him excel in tampa
February 20th, 2024 at 3:12 pm
@Hodad
The transition tag is cheaper because you DON’T get draft compensation
February 20th, 2024 at 7:28 pm
TIM,
You didnt mention what you’d do about QB?
If you let him walk, none of your other ideas matter- unless you have a probowl QB hidden somewhere.
February 20th, 2024 at 7:29 pm
Capt. Tim,
I usually enjoy your posts, but am gonna have to disagree with you on BM. Just watching his career, he is by no means a great QB. On the other side, ME has made a career of making OK QBs look better than they are. IMHO, I feel ME is #3 on who we absolutely need to sign. AW and LD are 1&2. Without ME then BM will not be in the same neighborhood he was this past season.
February 20th, 2024 at 9:02 pm
NCBuc,
Thank you. Very kind of you to say. We dont have to agree to both be Buc fans.
I look at it like this. Mike Evans has played with Mike Glennon, Josh McCown, Jameis Winston, Blaine Gabbert.
Was a loser with every one of them. Team had a losing record.
Mike didnt upgrade any of them into a winning record.
Not one.
Mike became a Winner with Brady, who was a winner long before he met Mike Evans.
Mike won with Baker Mayfield, who took the leagues worst ( and stupidest) team to the playoffs.
Mike never made a losing qB one bit better.
He has only won with QBs who were winners without him.
And that was when he was young. He isnt young anymore.
Hes still a great WR at 31.
Is he better than Michael Pittman Jr right now? Is he better than Josh Reynolds?
Didnt look like it in the playoffs.
We could sign both of those guys, for what Evans is allegedly asking.
And hes 31. Those kids could be Bucs for 6-8 years.
Mayfield has taken a team to the playoffs without Mike.
Mike has never been on a winning team, unless it had a great QB.
Seems pretty easy.
The Bucs have paid Mike Evans a fortune. Hes a multimillionaire and then some.
If he wants more than hes worth, we let him go.
We sign a couple great young WRs, save money, and add them in with Godwin.
And cheer for Mike whenever He visits. He holler that we still love him.
Then Mayfield beats the stuffing out of Mikes new team
February 21st, 2024 at 1:32 am
Hodad Says:
“How about slapping Baker with the transition tag? That allows the Bucs to match any offer, or get draft compensation if he leaves? Bucs should not bid against themselves.”
You can do the same with non-exclusive franchise tag and get two first round picks if another team poaches him at a higher price then the Bucs want to pay. It will cost them $2M more but worth it. Transition tag means Bucs don’t match another team’s offer, they get no picks.. I think the Bucs don’t franchise tag Winfield or Evans. They want long-term deal with Winfield, a tag will only cost them more money to retain Winfield later. The obvious is to non-exclusive tag Baker. No team is going to give the Bucs 2 first rounders for Baker. At which point the Bucs have immense leverage to lower Baker’s down to 2-year guaranteed for $60-70M which is $30-35M per year. No player wants to play for $32M one year and risk $0 the next year with injury. Especially with Baker’s history and league perception. $60-70M 2 years guaranteed sound much better than the Daniel Jones $92M guaranteed for basically 3 years. Gives Bucs an year earlier to opt-out and kick Baker to curve if he sucks. Or pay him below Daniel Jones if he does not suck.
February 21st, 2024 at 7:31 am
Dr. Stroud’s very butt hurt that his reporting was questioned. lol
February 21st, 2024 at 4:10 pm
Wow I cannot believe all the Baker Fanboys. He is historically “mediocre”. At best. We LITERALLY grabbed him from the scrap heap!!! Are the other 31 teams who thought he wasn’t worth 4 cents entirely wrong? The only reason he succeeded this year was he was surrounded by HOF wr, and other weapons. Having Moxie means nothing. Well no it actually means a little bit if you consider Kirk “You like that” Cousins. If Baker gets his act together and has another “serviceable” season, which back to back mediocre seasons would be a career first for him, He would then enter Kirk Cousins comparison area. Until then he is just all hype and headband, most popular teammate of the year category. Show me something Baker. Something consistent and elite on the field.