Free Agency Countdown: 14 Days — The Bucs And Donte Jackson
February 24th, 2025
A sect of Bucs fans runs through random Winn-Dixie aisles screaming about how if the Buccaneers cut Jamel Dean, the team will save roughly $8.5 million in salary cap space next season.
Dean has lost a lot of fans over the past couple of years. Between injuries, a big salary and a lack of big plays, many are ready to move on and thank the veteran Super Bowl cornerback for his service.
Joe doesn’t rule out the Bucs re-negotiating Dean’s fat contract or flat out keeping him. Todd Bowles loves the guy. However, a credible report had Dean on the trade block one year ago.
Regardless, the Bucs need a capable body at outside cornerback whether or not they keep brittle Dean. Bryce Hall was that guy last year but had a season-ending injury in Week 1.
One guy on the market is veteran Donte Jackson. The Steelers traded for him last April and Jackson started 15 games and walked away with 5 interceptions. He’s a legit No. 2 cornerback who turns 30 in November.
Bowles is no fan of shorter outside corners like Jackson (5-10) but Bowles is a fan of turnovers. Jackson has 19 career interceptions in seven seasons. For reference, that’s as many as Dean and former Bucs cornerback Carlton Davis combined.
Jackson won’t be cheap but he wouldn’t break the bank, and the Bucs could do a lot worse opposite Zyon McCollum if they move on from Dean.
The free agency frenzy kicks off on Monday, March 10 at noon. Early deals will be announced that afternoon and made official on Wednesday, March 12.
February 24th, 2025 at 10:34 am
Licht values his picks and overpaying his picks
Do not expect this team to be big spenders in free agency
Licht Overpaid
Carlton Davis
Antoine Winfield
Jamel Dean
No other team would pay these players what they got here, guy is fooled easily into overpaying his picks
Good GM but lacks the foresight to improve the areas that matter
February 24th, 2025 at 10:48 am
Trade Dean, he’s just not available enough. Licht will know if Bryce Hall is healthy and can go, but I still think we need a CB at 19.
Travis Hunter and Will Johnson will be long gone before 19. Shavon Revel looks great on paper but had a season ending ACL last year, and Benjamin Morrison had significant shoulder and hip injuries, so those guys are out for me. Jahdae Barron is a baller but is listed at 5-11 but really 5-10. I really like Trey Amos at 6-1 and 4.42 Of course the combine will tell us a lot…
Early last March, LVD was signed so I bet Licht knows if LVD wants to come back, so stay tuned….
February 24th, 2025 at 11:06 am
Let’s give Winfield an opportunity with an injury free season before saying it was a mistake to resign him with a big contract. I don’t believe he was really healthy even when returned from his injury opening day. The other two I agree.
February 24th, 2025 at 11:15 am
Sometimes you wonder if it’s the player or the coach …
Bowles’s two-prong defensive system is fairly obvious, and in diametric opposition.
His constant blitzing makes him one of the most aggressive pass rushing coaches in the NFL. Yet his conservative style of “not giving up the big play” allows opposing offenses to easily attack the (borrowing a phrase from Churchill) soft underbelly of his defenses. His claim of rather giving up three points in lieu of seven is a tough one to comprehend.
How about no points?
He constantly ranks at the league bottom in forcing punts, but doesn’t give up a ton of points either.
My point is this: No matter who we sign, their interception rate will drop—hard to get picks when you’re allowing receivers the easy catch in front of you.
Bowles won’t change, so the only way this team will improve defensively will be to put pressure on the QB, and quickly.
And getting those kind of players is easier said than done.
“Sign Garrett!” See how easy that was?
February 24th, 2025 at 11:18 am
First Name Greatest … Hating on AWJ? Wow.
AWJ was a DPOY candidate two years ago. He personally sealed two wins for the Bucs. He was the team’s MVP. He was injured last year. Turns out that’s a thing in the NFL.
Licht paid AWJ top dollar because he earned it. That’s a great message to send to the team. Be the best = Get paid like the best.
February 24th, 2025 at 11:24 am
Dean is soft.
February 24th, 2025 at 11:35 am
SlyPirate
Winfield has only had one healthy season, his contract year.
Even so the games he saved it wasn’t because of elite coverage, it was a never give up type of play to punch out a TD. I love Winfield Jr but he is not a $20 million per year defender.
Licht overpaying the softest secondary in the NFL is sad. It’s one of the reasons I was hoping Bowles would be fired as I would like to see this defensive talent in a new scheme as this combination of scheme and talent is awful at defending the pass
February 24th, 2025 at 12:03 pm
Jee Zuss Aycha Kreist, FNG lacks any perspective.
Guess what, almost every starter who hits free agency in the NFL is “overpaid”. It’s the nature of NFL salaries and contract cycles. Licht brings back starters often at below market salaries…
Just like every other team in the NFL, some of those free agents work out and are “worth” the money they’re paid, but most are not.
So congrats for finding a few that Licht overpaid for.
And btw, Winfield had a hard year this year, but I don’t expect he’s going to look like an “overpaid” player this year and in the future.
February 24th, 2025 at 12:10 pm
Back to the Old Folks Home again? No players not born in this century, Puleeze!
February 24th, 2025 at 12:17 pm
Dean should write a book, “How to be an Overpaid Employee at a Part Time Job.” He could make another couple million. He is definitely an expert at that.
February 24th, 2025 at 2:00 pm
See if Ronde Barber wants to make a comeback
February 24th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
I’ma hard no on this guy. He seems like another head case wr. There is a reason he bounces through what 3 teams last year. That guy is likely a locker room cancer
February 24th, 2025 at 3:28 pm
Just get the worst cbs in football and put every penny into the offense. Bowles could have the best corners and still leave wrs wide open
February 24th, 2025 at 4:02 pm
JA just nailed the best synopsis of the Bucs’ D that has ever been written on this here web. Bravo.
Except the points allowed are rapidly correlating to the yards given up, as one big jump happened from 24 vs 23, and that will happen again barring some unexpected intervention from above.
February 24th, 2025 at 4:07 pm
Bucs should look at mid-cost or depth in FA. If you want a splash play make it a ILB like Dre Greenlaw and then draft an ILB like Carter from Clemson. Get a depth FA corner and/or S.
Use your money on Godwin and others you need to re-sign and if you make a trade for an Edge (Hendrickson, Garrett or Crosby).
February 24th, 2025 at 5:53 pm
Don’t take First Name Greatest posts seriously – like this one in the archives:
First Name Greatest Says:
August 2nd, 2023 at 8:32am
Combination of Bowles and these QB’s all but guarantees a top 5 pick
February 24th, 2025 at 5:54 pm
Good teams pay the guys who play well in their system. Winfield was 5th or 6th in defensive player of the year in 2023. He made the all rookie team as a safety. He clearly was worth signing last year.
February 24th, 2025 at 8:43 pm
Davis is a FA this year. Maybe you can sign him for 8 million a year. Lioke him better than Dean.
February 24th, 2025 at 9:53 pm
Deans got nuthin on rod ‘toast’ jones. Complete with hands of stone, and a certain propensity to get burned deep at key moments. One thing ole toast had on Dean was that toast once caught bo Jackson from behind. Sadly, Dean isn’t that fast. Let dean walk and I’ll gladly change my name here 😉
February 25th, 2025 at 12:46 am
This guy would get great coaching as a Buc! We’ve seen the results!
Sign I’m.
February 25th, 2025 at 7:47 am
geno711 kept receipts! Nice!!!!