Robert Ayers To Visit Buccaneers

Defensive end Robert Ayers, the best pass rusher left on the free agent market, has a visit set up with the Buccaneers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

With the Giants having agreed to deals with fellow ends Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon, it appears Ayers’ stint with Robert AyersBig Blue will end after two years. During those two campaigns, the 30-year-old appeared in 24 regular-season games and recorded 14 sacks. Ayers has registered five-plus sacks in three straight years, including a career-best nine (plus 18 quarterback hurries) last season.

The 273-pounder has primarily been a reserve in his seven-year career (five with Denver), but he has totaled double-digit starts three times (including 11 in 2015-16). For his work last season, Ayers earned a tremendous mark from Pro Football Focus, which ranked him eighth out of 110 qualifying edge defenders.

If Ayers signs with the Bucs, he’ll join a team that was middle of the pack in sacks last season with 38. However, none of Tampa’s edge rushers had more than seven. It might take upward of $10MM per year to sign Ayers, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report named that as his asking price earlier this week (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

View Comments (0)