Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Buccaneers Re-Sign Antonio Brown

April 28th, 2021 at 8:15am CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown is back with the Bucs. On Wednesday morning, the wide receiver agreed to a brand new one-year deal worth up to $6.25MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo).

The deal includes $3.1MM fully guaranteed with $2MM coming in the form of a signing bonus. The remaining half of the $6.25MM can be achieved through incentives, though it’s not clear what those benchmarks are or how achievable they will be. Regardless, it’s a solid outcome for Brown, who had no known suitors outside of the incumbent Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers signed Brown in late October, though they had to wait until Week 9 for his suspension to end. That original deal paid just $1MM in base salary and bonuses, with the potential to reach as much as $2.5MM. But, because the Bucs won the Super Bowl, AB earned an additional $750K bonus, plus more for his catch total.

In eight games, Brown recorded 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns. Extrapolated for a full 16-game season, he would have been on pace for 90 catches, 966 yards, and eight touchdowns. It’s worth noting that 20 of his 45 catches came in the final three weeks of the regular season, a sign that there could be many more highlights in store for AB and TB.

The Buccaneers managed to keep most of the band together after the Super Bowl, but Brown was a conspicuous straggler. Now, he’s back in the fold to join Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski for a repeat run.

Buccaneers Pick Up Vita Vea’s Option

April 26th, 2021 at 2:26pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s officially official. On Monday, the Bucs announced that they have exercised defensive tackle Vita Vea’s fifth-year option.

Vea was a huge part of the Buccaneers’ defense before going down with a serious ankle injury. Even though he was limited to just five games, the Buccaneers did not want to leave him exposed to free agency in 2022. Thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, Vea’s 2022 season will now be fully guaranteed, as opposed to being guaranteed for injury-only. That’s just fine for the Buccaneers, who watched Vea start all 16 games in 2019 for 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defended.

Originally believed to be lost for the season, Vea managed to return in time for the NFC Championship Game and the Bucs’ Super Bowl victory. The 12th overall pick of the 2018 draft should be fully healthy for 2021, allowing him to make his case for a lucrative long-term deal. In the meantime, Tevita Tuli’aki’ono Tuipulotu Mosese Va’hae Fehoko Faletau Vea is locked in for an additional season at around $7.64MM.

Updated 2021 NFL Draft Order: Round 1

April 23rd, 2021 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens sent Orlando Brown to the Chiefs on Friday, shuffling the first-round order of the NFL Draft once again. Now, the Ravens are one of four teams to hold multiple first-round picks, joining the Jaguars (Nos. 1 and 25), Jets (Nos. 2 and 23), and Dolphins (Nos. 6 and 18). In turn, Chiefs no longer have a top-32 choice, joining the Seahawks, Texans, and Rams.

As we look ahead to Thursday, here’s how the first round currently stands:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars
2. New York Jets
3. San Francisco 49ers (from HOU via MIA)
4. Atlanta Falcons
5. Cincinnati Bengals
6. Miami Dolphins (from PHI)
7. Detroit Lions
8. Carolina Panthers
9. Denver Broncos
10. Dallas Cowboys
11. New York Giants
12. Philadelphia Eagles (from SF via MIA)
13. Los Angeles Chargers
14. Minnesota Vikings
15. New England Patriots
16. Arizona Cardinals
17. Las Vegas Raiders
18. Miami Dolphins
19. Washington Football Team
20. Chicago Bears
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Tennessee Titans
23. New York Jets (from SEA)
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Jacksonville Jaguars (from LAR)
26. Cleveland Browns
27. Baltimore Ravens
28. New Orleans Saints
29. Green Bay Packers
30. Buffalo Bills
31. Baltimore Ravens (from KC)
32. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This Date In Transactions History: Buccaneers Draft Two Future Hall Of Famers

April 22nd, 2021 at 9:50pm CST by Ben Levine

On this date in 1995, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made a pair of decisions that ultimately resulted in a Super Bowl championship. On April 22, 1995, the Buccaneers used a pair of first-round picks on defensive end Warren Sapp and linebacker Derrick Brooks.

The Buccaneers actually had their eye on Sapp throughout the pre-draft process that year, and they probably would have selected at him No. 7 before ultimately moving back to No. 12. As former head coach Sam Wyche explained, the organization made the trade assuming that the Miami star would be selected in the top-five. When Sapp’s draft stock started to drop, the Buccaneers realized they still might get their guy despite the trade.

“[W]e would simulate one group of five players gone and another group of five players gone, and in every one of our mock drafts Warren Sapp was gone in the top five,” Wyche wrote on PewterReport.com. “We eventually decided to trade down to the 12th overall pick in the first round, but started to realize that we still might have a shot at drafting Sapp.

“There were rumors of drug use and him messing around and being a little bit of a fun guy in college, like all of us were, but they label certain people and Sapp got the label, and once that happens it can sometimes get out of hand like it did for Warren. Our scouts knew the players at all of the Florida schools very well because we had such a close geographical relationship and formed close and honest relationships with their coaches and trainers.

“We went through all of those checkpoints and everything came back positive. While we still had to see if he fell to us, we made the decision as a group that if Warren Sapp were still there when we picked at number 12 overall he would be a Buccaneer. Even at that point we all looked long and hard at each other to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything, and we hadn’t, so we drafted Warren Sapp. We all liked him. I mean everybody – myself, Rich, Jerry Angelo – everybody. We really believed it was a great pick.”

So, with the No. 12 pick in the 1995 draft, the Buccaneers selected Sapp (much to the dismay of Jets fans…seriously, watch that video).

The Buccaneers weren’t done wheeling and dealing. The team later traded a pair of seconds (including one that they originally acquired in the trade that sent out No. 7) to the Cowboys for No. 28, selecting Florida State linebacker Derrick Brooks.

“Derrick Brooks was a much easier decision to make in terms of trading up from the second round to draft him with the 28th pick in the first round,” Wyche wrote. “We didn’t think he was going to be there, though, so that’s why we jumped at the chance to select him.”

How did the picks work out for Tampa Bay? For starters, Sapp and Brooks played major roles in guiding the Bucs to a victory in Super Bowl XXXVII. The two players combined for 18 Pro Bowls, 15 All-Pro nods, and a pair of Defensive Player of the Year awards. The Buccaneers also earned the distinction of being one of three teams (Bears in 1965 (Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers) and later the Ravens in 1996 (Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis)) to select a pair of Hall of Famers in the same round.

When the first round ended 26 years ago tonight, we’re sure the Buccaneers were thrilled with their selections. However, we doubt even they anticipated the kind of impact their two draft picks would have.

Buccaneers Would Consider Drafting QB

April 22nd, 2021 at 8:33pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers may be all-in on the 2021 season, but that wouldn’t stop them from considering a quarterback in the upcoming draft. During his press conference earlier this week, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht revealted that he’d consider taking a developmental quarterback who could learn from future Hall of Famer Tom Brady.

“You just want to make sure that you’re not picking a quarterback just to pick a quarterback,” said Licht (via Scott Smith of the team’s website). “You want everybody to be onboard, and the guy’s got to have the right mindset. He’s got to be, obviously, talented and can through the ball, but he’s got to be somebody that we all feel comfortable with above the neck. There’s always positives to drafting a quarterback if all those things align.”

The Buccaneers won’t use a first-round pick on a quarterback, and it’d be a bit surprising if the team selected a QB on the second day of the draft. A late-round quarterback would be a natural crapshoot, but the Buccaneers would be putting that young player in a position to succeed. For starters, the rookie would obviously be playing behind a seven-time champion (and a former late-round pick, to boot). Plus, as Licht pointed out, that young signal-caller would also benefit from the current coaching staff.

“Well, there’s always pros to drafting a quarterback for us because of our coaching staff,” said Licht. “Bruce and Byron and Clyde and Tom Moore – I mean, you couldn’t think of a better staff to groom a quarterback.”

A young quarterback would also have the inside track to succeed Brady when the veteran inevitably retires. In fact, this hypothetical player could have a path to playing time if Brady was forced to miss time next season; the only other quarterback on the roster is Ryan Griffin, although the team is still looking to re-sign backup Blaine Gabbert.

Bengals Wanted Giovani Bernard To Take Pay Cut

April 22nd, 2021 at 2:39pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Giovani Bernard‘s time in Cincinnati is done, as the pass-catching back signed with the defending champion Buccaneers a couple weeks ago.

His old team apparently wasn’t set on seeing him walk out the door, but they wanted him to stay on their own terms. Bengals exec Duke Tobin said this week the team had wanted Bernard back at a lower salary, per Ben Baby of ESPN (Twitter link). Bernard declined to take a pay cut, which is what led to his somewhat surprising release.

Bernard had been a staple of the franchise for most of the past decade after they drafted him in the second-round back in 2013. He had been set to earn a $3.7MM base salary with a $4.76MM cap hit in 2021 before getting cut. Bernard elected to chase a ring with Tampa despite interest from the 49ers and Seahawks.

Meanwhile, we also now have the details on Bernard’s contract with the Bucs, which we didn’t have when he first signed. Bernard signed for the vet minimum salary of $1.075MM along with a modest signing bonus of $137.5K, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.

It’s quite possible Bernard signed for significantly less money to team up with Tom Brady, considering the interest from San Francisco and Seattle. Either way, it’s a great value signing for the Super Bowl champs, as Bernard remained productive while reeling in 47 catches last year.

Antonio Brown, Britney Taylor Settle Suit

April 22nd, 2021 at 9:33am CST by Sam Robinson

Apr. 22: Brown is not out of the woods quite yet with respect to potential NFL discipline. As Stroud tweets, the league is still reviewing the matter for a potential violation of the personal conduct policy. Speculatively, that could mean that Brown will have to wait a little longer to re-sign with the Bucs or agree to terms with any other club.

As Greg Auman of The Athletic observes, GM Jason Licht was fairly non-committal after the news of the settlement. “We’ve had discussions throughout the offseason … we’ve put an emphasis on bringing back players from last year … [Brown] would be no different,” Licht said. “[The settlement is] not necessarily the deciding factor on whether we’re going to continue to talk” (Twitter links).

Apr. 21: The civil suit that Britney Taylor filed against Antonio Brown over a year ago has been settled, according to one of Brown’s representatives (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, on Twitter).

A former Brown trainer, Taylor accused him of multiple instances of sexual assault. This matter was folded into the NFL’s investigation of the veteran wide receiver. Brown’s 2020 suspension did not cover Taylor’s accusation, and the threat of an additional ban loomed because of it.

This suit, which the COVID-19 pandemic delayed, was supposed to go to trial in December 2021. However, the 32-year-old receiver appears in the clear on this front now.

This matter surfaced after Brown signed with the Patriots in 2019. Brown denied the allegations, but both he and Taylor separately met with the NFL in September 2019. After another sexual misconduct allegation emerged, Brown’s sending of threatening text messages to that accuser ended up leading him out of New England.

However, the Buccaneers signed him midway through the 2020 season. He ended up making key contributions to the team’s second Super Bowl championship. The Bucs have made a host of re-signings this offseason, doing plenty to keep their championship core together. Brown remains on the team’s radar, and the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud expects Wednesday’s resolution to pave the way for another Brown deal with the Bucs in the near future (Twitter link).

T.J. Ward Announces Retirement

April 21st, 2021 at 8:16am CST by Sam Robinson

T.J. Ward caught on with the Cardinals’ practice squad for a bit last season, doing so after being out of football for a lengthy stretch. The former Pro Bowl safety will not attempt to play in 2021. Ward announced his retirement Wednesday morning, Troy Renck of Denver7 reports.

Best known for being part of the Broncos’ No Fly Zone secondary, which played a major role in the franchise’s third Super Bowl championship, Ward was a regular for eight NFL seasons. He also spent time with the Browns and Buccaneers, last suiting up for a regular-season game in 2017.

Ward, 34, will wrap his career as a two-time Pro Bowler. The Browns selected Ward in the 2010 second round and used him as a starter throughout his four-year tenure in Cleveland. In 2014, Ward signed a four-year, $22.5MM contract to join the Broncos. This move elevated Ward’s profile and bolstered a Broncos defense that was coming off a rough outing in Super Bowl XLVIII.

The ex-Oregon Duck spent three seasons with the Broncos, joining DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and Emmanuel Sanders as part of the franchise’s quality 2014 free agent class. An intimidating presence on the back line of a dominant Broncos secondary, Ward joined Talib, Chris Harris, Darian Stewart and Bradley Roby in helping the Broncos rank first in pass defense DVOA in 2015 and ’16.

Ward intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble in Super Bowl 50, playing a pivotal part in Denver’s upset victory, and continued as a starter in 2016. The Broncos gave Stewart a long-term extension that season and used two 2016 draft picks on safeties — Justin Simmons and Will Parks. Simmons ended up replacing Ward in 2017. The Broncos released Ward ahead of that season, leading to his one-year, $4MM Bucs deal.

The hard-hitting safety finished his career with two 100-plus-tackle seasons — both with Cleveland — and 29 tackles for loss. He added 10 forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns — both of which came in 2013, when he earned second-team All-Pro recognition.

Buccaneers Re-Sign QB Ryan Griffin

April 20th, 2021 at 8:35am CST by Sam Robinson

Two members of the Buccaneers’ most recent quarterback depth chart are now signed for 2021. Ryan Griffin is back in the fold. The longtime Bucs third-stringer re-signed with the defending Super Bowl champions Tuesday.

Griffin has been with the Bucs since 2015, serving as by far the team’s longest-tenured quarterback. The 31-year-old passer is in line to return for a seventh season in Tampa, rejoining Tom Brady ahead of his second. As Greg Auman of The Athletic points out, no Bucs QB has lasted seven seasons with the team previously (Twitter link). Griffin would certainly make for an unusual first.

Blaine Gabbert, whom GM Jason Licht indicated could potentially succeed Brady after he retires, remains unsigned. Gabbert has served as Tampa Bay’s QB2 for two seasons, backing up Jameis Winston in 2019 and Brady last year.

As for Griffin, he has suited up for two games in eight NFL seasons. The former Saints UDFA caught on with the Bucs as a 2015 waiver claim. The Bucs tendered the Tulane alum as a restricted free agent in 2017 and have since given him three new deals. Although Licht’s comments give Gabbert a clear path back to the Bucs, Griffin is currently penciled in as Brady’s backup. He stands to see plenty of time in the Bucs’ three preseason games, with Brady unlikely to play much in the league’s revamped exhibition slate.

Tom Brady Hoping To Be Ready By June Minicamp

April 19th, 2021 at 9:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Despite going under the knife this offseason, Tom Brady is hoping he’ll be able to participate in his standard training this offseason. Speaking to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, the veteran quarterback revealed that he’s recovering from his knee surgery and is hopeful that he’ll be a full participant at mandatory June minicamp.

“Yeah, I hope so. I hope so. I feel pretty good, and I push myself pretty hard,” Brady said. “I feel pretty good. I don’t know if I could go this week, but we’ll see how things play out. It’s a long time between now and the beginning of the season, and just be smart about all these different things that we have to do and fulfill; but we all take a lot of pride in being ready to go, and I’m sure we will be.”

“It’s good, it’s good. It’s good progress. It’s rehab. None of that is fun, but looking forward to getting back to real training and stuff, which is hopefully here pretty soon. … I’m cool with it. It’s just part of what you deal with. Things come up. You deal with them the best way you can, with the best opportunity to improve. I’m definitely feeling a lot better than I did six or seven weeks ago.”

This is a somewhat notable development; while GM Jason Licht previously revealed that Brady was recovering quickly, it sounded unlikely that the quarterback would be a full-go during 7-on-7 work in June.

It’s notable when any quarterback has a knee procedure, much less an iconic quarterback who will be 44 at the start of the next season. Still, no one within the organization seems to be all that concerned. We previously learned that the procedure had been planned for a while, and Licht had described the surgery as “minor.”

The Buccaneers still haven’t added a definitive backup quarterback this offseason, although the sentiment is that they’re expected to re-sign Blaine Gabbert.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors