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Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/24/21

July 24th, 2021 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Ray Wilborn
  • Placed on active/PUP list: RB Patrick Taylor

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/21

July 23rd, 2021 at 5:21pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: CB Cre’Von LeBlanc
  • Waived: DE Nick Coe, LS Rex Sunahara

New England Patriots

  • Signed: TE David Wells

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/21

July 22nd, 2021 at 2:50pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucs’ Jaydon Mickens Facing Two Gun Charges

July 18th, 2021 at 10:11am CST by Rory Parks

Tampa Bay return specialist Jaydon Mickens is facing two misdemeanor gun charges as a result of his arrest earlier this year. According to TMZ Sports, Mickens was pulled over on March 5 because the tint on his vehicle was too dark, and during the stop, police observed a gun inside the car.

Prosecutors are moving forward with the case, and both charges carry a maximum of one year in jail. Even if he doesn’t ultimately face that type of criminal penalty, Mickens could certainly be subject to league discipline.

Mickens, 27, signed with the Raiders as a UDFA in 2016. He joined the Jaguars in 2017 and established himself as a quality punt returner, taking back 27 punts for 287 yards and a score. After an injury-shortened campaign in 2018, he was non-tendered by Jacksonville, and he spent most of 2019 looking for a job before landing a spot on the Bucs’ taxi squad late in the year.

Then, in 2020, he became Tampa’s primary return man, handling 21 punts and 24 kick returns between the regular season and playoffs. But he was not especially dynamic, and fourth-round rookie Jaelon Darden is a legitimate threat to his roster spot.

Extra Points: Buccaneers, Matthews, Haskins

July 15th, 2021 at 10:34pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers announced that five individuals would be joining the organization via the The Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship: Trai Essex, La’Roi Glover, Andre King, Heather Marini, and Louis Murphy Jr.. These coaches will be allowed to “observe, participate, [and] gain experience” throughout training camp and the preseason, and the experience could ultimately lead to a job offer.

Marini made a name for herself this past season at Brown University as the QB coach, making her the first female position coach in Division I history. Marini previously served as an offensive quality control coach with the Bears, and she served as a scout on Todd Bowles’ staff with the Jets.

Essex and Grover had distinguished careers in the NFL. Grover made six Pro Bowls and was a member of the 2000s All-Decade Team while Essex won a pair of Super Bowls with the Steelers (while playing under current Bucs head coach Bruce Arians). King also has experience playing under Arians, with the two having spent four seasons together in Cleveland.

Murphy Jr. has the best connection to the Buccaneers after spending a few years playing for the organization. The receiver had 41 receptions for 578 yards during his two seasons in Tampa Bay, and that was part of a nine-year career that saw him collecting 2,589 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns. He most recently served as a high school head coach in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Some more notes from around the NFL:

  • Jordan Matthews is set to audition for teams as a tight end, and at least one squad will have interest in the veteran. Paul Kuharsky reports (via Twitter) that the Titans are expected to kick the tires on the veteran. Tennessee could use some extra depth at the position after losing Jonnu Smith, but suitors shouldn’t expect too much from Matthews. The 28-year-old has appeared in only five games since the 2019 season, and it’s been four years since he last topped 800 receiving yards.
  • Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins was involved in a dispute earlier this month that resulted in his wife facing a domestic violence charge, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskin is accused of punching Haskins in the mouth, leading to a “felony charge of battery and domestic violence resulting in bodily harm.” Haskins reportedly had a split upper lift and a lost tooth, but the quarterback disputed that today on Instagram. “I appreciate the concern… however I have all of my teeth,” Haskins wrote (via Pryor). “Don’t believe everything you read. Peace.”
  • “We are aware of the situation but will have no comment,” the organization said in response to ESPN’s inquiry. Haskins inked a one-year deal with Pittsburgh earlier this offseason, and he’ll be competing with Mason Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs to be Ben Roethlisberger‘s primary backup.
  • Earlier tonight, we posted a poll asking which head coach will be the first to lose his job. Bears head coach Matt Nagy and Broncos head coach Vic Fangio are neck-and-neck for the lead.

MCL Surgery For Buccaneers’ Tom Brady

July 15th, 2021 at 3:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this year, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady underwent knee surgery, but didn’t specify the exact issue, saying only that it was “pretty serious.” According to a source who spoke with Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Brady had a partial tear of the MCL. Meanwhile, people close to Brady claim that it was actually a complete tear of the ligament (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

[RELATED: Brady Won’t Commit To Playing Beyond 2022]

Brady says that he became aware of the injury in the spring, but Stroud hears that it actually occurred in 2019, Brady’s last year with the Patriots. He’s had similar issues before, including an MCL sprain towards the end of the 2018 season. The Patriots — in classic Patriots fashion — declined to disclose the injury.

Fortunately, Brady is expected to be cleared in time for training camp this summer. It won’t be an easy recovery — especially since Brady is in his mid-40s — but he’s proven that he can outrun Father Time. At minimum, Brady hopes to play through 2022.

“Fifty? That’s a long time. Even for me, that’s a long time,” Brady said recently, somewhat countering GM Jason Licht‘s suggestion. “I’ve always said 45 was the age that I wanted to reach and that was my goal. This year I’ll be 44, so next year I’ll be 45. I got a two-year contract. I’m going to be able to obviously play this year and God forbid anything happens but play next year and then see what happens after that.

“If I still want to keep playing, I might be able to do that. And if that’s enough, then that would be enough.”

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin Unlikely To Sign Long-Term Deal

July 14th, 2021 at 5:37pm CST by Ben Levine

There’s less than 24 hours to go until the deadline to sign franchised players, and it sounds like the Buccaneers and Chris Godwin won’t agree to a long-term pact. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the two sides are not expected to agree on a long-term deal before tomorrow. However, Rapoport clarifies that the organization still considers Godwin a “core player” and intends to re-sign him to a long-term deal next offseason.

This certainly isn’t the first time that the Buccaneers have found themselves in this scenario. As Rapoport tweets, the front office previously went through a similar situation with Shaq Barrett, who they finally ended up extending this past offseason. In other words, the lack of progress on an extension shouldn’t be a cause for concern regarding Godwin’s future in Tampa Bay.

There have been conflicting reports about negotiations since Godwin was slapped with the franchise tag earlier this offseason. In fact, we heard just last night that the two sides could still agree on a long-term pact prior to the deadline, but it sounds like that ultimately won’t be the case.

There have always been a few complications surrounding a Godwin extension. For starters, after dishing out a bunch of cash to retain their Super Bowl-winning core, the Buccaneers are a bit strapped for cash at the moment, making it tough to carve out the necessary space to sign Godwin. Kenny Golladay was able to earn $18MM this offseason from the Giants, a number that Godwin would presumably be pushing for. For what it’s worth, Godwin’s tag is worth $15.9MM.

The former third-round pick has just one 1,000-yard season on his resume, but the Bucs did not make him a full-time player until they traded DeSean Jackson after the 2018 season. Godwin blew up for 1,333 yards and nine touchdown receptions in 2019. Although he encountered multiple injuries last season, the Penn State product still surpassed 800 yards and remains an essential part of Tampa Bay’s loaded skill-position corps.

Latest On Potential Extension For Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin

July 13th, 2021 at 5:54pm CST by Ben Levine

There’s some hope that Chris Godwin could end up inking an extension with the Buccaneers after all. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports (via Twitter) that there’s still a “chance” that the wideout inks a long-term deal with Tampa Bay.

[RELATED: Status Of 7 Remaining Franchise-Tagged Players]

The Buccaneers have been willing to dish out money this offseason to retain their top players, but Godwin’s demands could be too pricey for the organization. As Fowler notes, Kenny Golladay was able to earn $18MM this offseason from the Giants; that type of AAV might not be palatable to the Buccaneers front office.

We heard last week that negotiations between the two sides weren’t particularly close. Godwin’s tag is worth $15.9MM, but the Pro Bowl receiver is likely shooting for a deal in the WR1 range. Presently holding less than $500K in cap space (and, not to mention, paying fellow wideout Mike Evans a sizable contract), the Bucs will need to create some room if they truly want to re-up Godwin.

The former third-round pick has just one 1,000-yard season on his resume, but the Bucs did not make him a full-time player until they traded DeSean Jackson after the 2018 season. Godwin blew up for 1,333 yards and nine touchdown receptions in 2019. Although he encountered multiple injuries last season, the Penn State product still surpassed 800 yards and remains an essential part of Tampa Bay’s loaded skill-position corps.

Shaq Barrett: I Wasn’t Going To Leave Buccaneers For ‘A Little More Money’

July 13th, 2021 at 1:30pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Buccaneers did a great job keeping almost everybody from last year’s Super Bowl win around for 2021. They used their franchise tag on receiver Chris Godwin, which meant they had to let star pass-rusher Shaq Barrett become a free agent.

Barrett was one of the top players available on the market, but he apparently never considered leaving Tampa too seriously. He said as much in an interview on Good Morning Football on Tuesday (Twitter video link), via Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com.

“It might’ve been true [that I was offered more money elsewhere], but I didn’t listen to anybody else. I didn’t hear no other offers,” Barrett said. “I wanted to make it work down here in Tampa. We’ve got something special going down here, man. And I don’t want to let greed be the reason why I don’t take advantage of this opportunity down here. We’re starting to love Tampa. We love the fan support. And I’m just ready to keep building.”

The former undrafted free agent spent his first five pro seasons with the Broncos, but Tampa became home for him quickly in 2019. “I love my coaches. I love the organization — everything is like a match made in heaven down here, man. And I won’t let trying to get a little more money change that.”

Barrett immediately broke out after signing with the Bucs in 2019, leading the league in sacks that season with 19.5 and becoming a second-team All-Pro. As such, it’s not hard to see why he has such an affinity for the organization.

He played the 2020 season under the franchise tag for $15.8MM, and the team rewarded him back in March by giving him a new contract for four years and $72MM.

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