Bucs Nation
With less than a month until the legal tampering period, the Bucs’ off-season battle plan is well underway.
NFL free agency begins in less than three weeks when the “legal tampering” period begins March 10.
You’ll see a flurry of big names agree in principle to new deals, either as extensions with their incumbent teams or as flashy splashes for a new franchise trying to make waves.
The Buccaneers have not typically fallen into that latter category — in the traditional sense at least. They spend money regularly and have been for some time, with the main caveat being it’s been for their own guys. That’s, naturally, a good thing to keep together a strong core you find through other means like the draft, savvy trades, and previous bargain signings.
However, GM Jason Licht does not shy away from pursuing the big fish if he’s convinced it will provide a major boon for the roster. See Brady, Tom.
Will a move like that come on the offensive side of the ball this year? The blatant shortfalls of this current roster construction do not seem to originate from the point-scoring side, but let’s take a closer look.
Are there any in-house players who should be prioritized? Here’s the current list:
There is one glaringly obvious “yes.”
Chris Godwin started his 2024 season torching the entire league, leading all wideouts in several receiving stats and being Pro Football Focus’s top-graded receiver before having his ankle dislocated in October. As brutal as an end that was, Godwin is expected to make a full recovery and should be worth a top-tier contract entering his age 29 season.
Ultimately, the Bucs should be considered the leader in the clubhouse until they’re not. Retaining guys, as previously mentioned, is what they do. Godwin is still good and it’s been reported on more than one occasion how he loves the team that drafted him and he won a championship with. On the business side, Tampa can create the money to make it happen and would actually save cap because it would erase some dead money associated with Godwin’s previous deal.
If some team wants to blow him away with league-high money, then of course his departure would be understandable, but we’ll see.
Other than him, priorities are both much lower and much less expensive.
Bredeson was fine enough at left guard, though certainly upgradable. He won’t be expensive at all for 1- or 2-year deal.
Shepard filled in admirably when injuries ravaged the receiver room but he was not particularly consistent and got penalized a lot. He also just turned 32 and his injury status is always one to be monitored. This screams cheap one-year vet minimum or near it.
Trask might be a good backup, possibly...maybe? He’s throw 11 passes...
