The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a fascinating offseason storyline as their pending free agents, draft picks, and team needs all round into form. They’ll be in a similar spot to last offseason, but their ability to keep most of that Super Bowl team becomes more difficult. It’s the nature of the business.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022 Offseason Preview
In the end, the Bucs have Tom Brady playing like a 28-year-old at age 45. Additionally, because of how his contract is structured, he’ll account for under $19 million against the cap.
No matter what happens in the offseason, Tampa Bay will still have an outstanding foundation for success in 2022. The star power is still abundant, and they all appear willing to adopt the “Patriot Way.” But maybe the Patriot Way was an even split with the “Tom Brady Way.” It sure seems like his teammates in Tampa are willing to sacrifice for the greater good of this franchise.
The Buccaneers have $22.5 million in projected cap space
Source: Spotrac (as of Jan. 23)
Mike Evans, Shaquil Barrett, and Donovan Smith are all slated to make more than 9% of the cap. Brady makes just under that, and both Lavonte David and Ali Marpet make over $10 million against the cap. The new contract for Vita Vea means he will count for $11.9 million in cap space, which significantly reduces the Buccaneers room this offseason.
Besides them, there aren’t any expensive contracts. Tampa has drafted well as of late, but some critical contributors are about to hit the open market. Seeing who takes a hometown discount to play on a perennial Super Bowl contender could be enough for a few of them.
Buccaneers’ pending free agents
Chris Godwin is just one of the Buccaneers’ pending free agents, but he’s probably the one most crucial to Tampa Bay’s passing success. That’s no guarantee, though, because Ryan Jensen has played at an incredibly high level at center, and Brady’s safety blanket, Rob Gronkowski, is once again a free man after 2021.
Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh could ride off into the sunset, which could be okay considering what the 2022 NFL Draft class looks like as of mid-January. Playoff Lenny, Ronald Jones, and O.J. Howard are all free agents as well. But they aren’t the only players that need to be re-signed.
The Bucs’ best cornerback, Carlton Davis, will be a free agent. Jordan Whitehead joins him as a member of the secondary looking for a new contract. Right guard Alex Cappa is also slated to hit free agency.
Buccaneers’ team needs
I have a hard time seeing Godwin in any other uniform, so I’ll leave wide receiver off the Buccaneers’ team needs list for now. However, it will be challenging to sign everybody. That is the nature of the salary cap.
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With that said, their top-five offensive line is in danger of losing two pieces, and their defensive line is in danger of the same. I’d expect them to bring back Davis, and Whitehead being a safety could help his retainment, given the league’s ability to devalue the position.
Buccaneers’ top five needs in the 2022 NFL offseason
- Defensive tackle
- Defensive end/Outside linebacker
- Interior offensive line
- Running back
- Tight end
Buccaneers’ 2022 NFL Draft picks
The Buccaneers don’t have a ton of draft capital, but they have all their own picks in the first five rounds.
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 4
- Round 5
- Round 7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022 Offseason Preview: Pending free agents, team needs, draft picks, and more - Pro Football Network
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