Bucs’ Mike Evans Willing To Take Pay Cut
Mike Evans is scheduled to make $12.5MM next year. However, the Buccaneers’ star wide receiver is willing to take a little bit less if it keeps the Super Bowl-winning band together. 
[RELATED: Gronk Wants To Return]
“Mike Evans is the most unselfish superstar I’ve ever met,” head coach Bruce Arians told Peter King of NBC Sports. “He’s told us to use some of his money if we need to contracts to keep the team together.”
The Buccaneers are hoping to keep tight end Rob Gronkowski and the rest of their key pending free agents. Among those eligible for the open market: wide receivers Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, inside linebacker Lavonte David, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and edge rusher Shaquil Barrett.
Evans has helped the Bucs move money around in the past, including a 2019 adjustment that converted $2MM of his base salary into a signing bonus. The layout of his deal — a five-year, $82.5MM extension inked less than two years ago — allows for flexibility with no guaranteed dollars from this point forward.
Evans may seek some locked-in dollars in exchange for his cooperation. But, either way, the Bucs will probably take up Evans on his offer, especially with the possibility of a $180MM cap this offseason.
Bucs’ Rob Gronkowski: “I Don’t See Why I Won’t Be Back”
Rob Gronkowski wants to keep the party going. After capturing his first Super Bowl ring sans Bill Belichick, the tight end told reporters that he plans to continue playing in 2021. 
“Yeah, I’ll remain unretired,” Gronk said (via PFT). “I’m a free agent. It’s the first time in my career that I’m a free agent…But I definitely see myself coming back, just the guys around here, the players around here, the coaches, the people in the front office, they’re all just great people. I loved working with them all year long.”
“So, obviously going to soak this in and see where I’m at in a couple weeks, but I don’t see why not. I don’t see why I won’t be back.”
Gronk previously hinted at another season and reports indicated that he’d only suit up for Tom Brady & Co. Gronk, 32 in May, managed to shake off the rust in pewter, notching 45 catches for 623 yards and seven touchdowns. That stat line wasn’t as gaudy as his best seasons with the Patriots, but he showed up big in the Super Bowl, leading all receivers with six grabs for 67 yards and two TDs.
While Gronkowski needs a new contract, Cameron Brate‘s deal extends through 2023. That shouldn’t be much of a barrier, however. The Bucs can cut Brate to save $6.5MM against the cap with no dead money charge. The bigger numbers crunch will come from fellow free agents such as wide receiver Chris Godwin, outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, and inside linebacker Lavonte David.
Buccaneers’ Bruce Arians Has Succession Plan For Todd Bowles
Will Bruce Arians retire after the Super Bowl? “Hell no,” the coach says. But, someday, the Buccaneers head coach plans to hand things off to defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. 
“I think [our defense has improved by] lightyears,” Arians said of Bowles recently. “Just the mixture of all those guys in the secondary [and] solidifying the front. Again, going into last season, we had to get Shaq Barrett back [and] we had to get Ndamukong Suh back. Keeping everybody there [and] now getting Vita Vea back. And, that secondary was key. Getting guys that could play man-to-man, that were aggressive bump-and-run type people that could also play zone, rather than soft zone players. It took a while, but I think Todd has just done a tremendous job and we’ve been winning with defense.”
Bowles’ defensive prowess is undeniable — his units were stellar in Arizona and even his Jets defenses were decent. However, his win/loss record in New York was rough. In four years, he had only 24 wins in total, despite a 10-win campaign in 2015.
Meanwhile, speculation persists about Arians’ plans, despite his denials. The 68-year-old has retired twice before. His most recent “retirement” came in 2017, after leaving the Cardinals. Previous to that, Arians also claimed to be walking away in 2011, when he peace’d out on the Steelers. Today, win or lose, Arians says he’s coming back for at least one more season.
Buccaneers Interested In Re-Signing Leonard Fournette
The Buccaneers would like to bring Leonard Fournette back for another season (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). As it stands, Fournette has just one game — the Super Bowl — left on his contract.
Fournette joined the Bucs on one-year deal worth up to $3.5MM in September. Over the last year, he’s served as a solid RB2 behind Ronald Jones II, notching 3.8 yards per carry in 13 games. Fournette also snagged 36 passes for 233 yards, giving him 600 all-purpose yards for the year.
As the centerpiece of the Jaguars’ offense, Fournette faced stacked boxes on 39% of his carries from 2017-19. With the Bucs, he’s surrounded by a number of offensive weapons, forcing defenses to keep things honest. Fournette’s stats don’t exactly jump off of the page, but the Bucs like what they’ve gotten out of the former No. 4 overall pick.
Still, the Bucs may look to lock up Jones for the long haul, which would cut into available funds for Fournette. Some wondered if the former Jags star would leapfrog Jones this year — he responded with 5.1 ypc for a career season.
Bucs Expected To Retain WR Chris Godwin
There are a number of quality wide receivers slated for free agency next month, but it sounds like the Bucs will keep one of them off the market. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Tampa is expected to engage Chris Godwin in talks on a long-term contract before the March 9 deadline for applying the franchise tag, and if those talks do not result in a deal, it sounds as if the team is prepared to use the tag on the Pro Bowl wideout (Twitter link).
We heard last April that the Bucs were eyeing an extension for Godwin, but it’s unclear how far those negotiations advanced. Between the lack of a new contract and the fact that Tampa has a number of other key free agents to make decisions on, there was some speculation that Godwin would be playing elsewhere in 2021. But it sounds as if that won’t be the case.
This season, Godwin did not quite return to the Pro Bowl form he displayed in 2019, but he was quite effective just the same. Although his 12.9 yards-per-reception mark was a career-low, that is largely attributable to the fact that the team transitioned from Jameis Winston to Tom Brady at quarterback. Godwin’s catch rate increased to a career-best 77.4%, and had he played in all 16 games — he missed four contests due to injury — he was on pace to eclipse 1,100 receiving yards. He also scored seven TDs.
Based on the expected salary cap of $180.5MM, the franchise tag number for Godwin would be $15.808MM (h/t Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com on Twitter). Godwin can probably do better than that on a long-term contract, as the top 12 wide receiver deals in the league feature AAVs of at least $16.2MM, but it’s a fair starting point in contract talks.
The Bucs are also interested in bringing back Antonio Brown, and while Rapoport says tight end Rob Gronkowski plans to take a few weeks to make a retirement decision, he will only play for Tampa if he chooses to return in 2021. Keeping the band together for what could be the final season of Brady’s career makes plenty of sense, though it could mean that a defensive free agent like Shaquil Barrett or Lavonte David will be squeezed out of the picture.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/6/21
Here are the latest NFL minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Signed to reserve/futures contract: OL Jordan Steckler
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: T Eric Fisher (story), LB Willie Gay
- Promoted: WR Marcus Kemp, LB Chris Lammons, QB Matt Moore
- Activated from IR: TE Deon Yelder
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: G Ted Larsen, QB Drew Stanton
Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate Dealing With Back Discomfort
It sounds like Cameron Brate may be a bit banged up heading into the Super Bowl. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Buccaneers tight end was a limited participant at practice Thursday due to a back injury. Rapoport adds that the ailment was described as “back discomfort,” and Brate “was pulled out of an abundance of caution.”
Brate felt better on Friday and, despite being listed as questionable, is expected to play Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Thanks in part to the addition of Rob Gronkowski, Brate put up some of the lowest numbers of his career in 2020, compiling 28 receptions for 282 yards and two scores. However, the 29-year-old has seen a more significant role in the playoffs. After collecting five or more targets in only two of his 16 regular season games, Brate has seen at least five targets in each of his three postseason contests, hauling in 11 receptions for 149 yards and one touchdown.
If Brate were to be sidelined for the Super Bowl, Gronk would likely soak up most of Brate’s snaps. With O.J. Howard sitting on IR, the Bucs could also hypothetically turn to Antony Auclair or Tanner Hudson.
There is some good news on the injury front for Tampa Bay. Rapoport adds that wideout Antonio Brown was a full participant at practice. The 32-year-old sat out the NFC Championship as he nursed a knee injury. Brown appeared in eight games for the Buccaneers this season, compiling 45 receptions for 483 yards and four touchdowns.
Bucs’ Bruce Arians “Wouldn’t Be Surprised” By Tom Brady Extension
The Buccaneers have Tom Brady signed through the 2021 season. Still, head coach Bruce Arians “wouldn’t be surprised” to see the future Hall of Famer ink an extension sometime after the Super Bowl. 
[RELATED: Arians Says “Hell No” To Retirement]
“I don’t have anything to do with contracts, so that would be a Jason [Licht] question,” Arians told reporters on Thursday. “I think Tom’s real happy with where he’s at, and I wouldn’t be surprised.”
Brady will turn 44 in August and he’s teased playing past the age of 45.
“Yeah, definitely. I would definitely consider that,” said B week (via NFL.com). “Again, it’s a physical sport. Just the perspective I have on that is you never know when that moment is. Just because it’s a contact sport and again it has to be 100 percent commitment from myself to keep doing it.”
“I’ve been fortunate over the years. Alex (Guerrero) and I work really hard to make sure physically I can perform at my best because you take different hits, over the course of the year you deal with different bumps and bruises, different injuries and so forth. You know, it’s just going to be me continuing to make that commitment to making it part of my year-round process to play football and continue my career.”
Even though Tom Terrific hasn’t been totally perfect with his new team, the Bucs are four quarters away from winning it all. And, win or lose, Arians also says that he’s in for at least another season.
Antonio Brown, Sammy Watkins On Track For Super Bowl
Wide receiver Sammy Watkins participated in the Chiefs’ Wednesday practice, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, the Bucs also had one of their most dangerous weapons on hand. Antonio Brown practiced with the Buccaneers, though he was kept to light work as he recovers from a knee injury. 
Watkins has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career and hasn’t played a full 16-game season since his rookie campaign with the Bills back in 2014. Despite that, he remains a serious threat for any opposing defense. This year, Watkins was limited to nine regular season games and finished out with a modest 37/421/2 stat line. If his calf heals up in time for the Super Bowl, it’ll mark his first appearance in this year’s playoffs.
Brown missed the NFC championship game, but the Buccaneers still managed to edge the Packers and punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. In the regular season, the 32-year-old caught 45 passes for 483 yards and four touchdowns. His best game came in Week 17, when he hauled in eleven catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns as Mike Evans was held out.
Fortunately, Brown did not suffer serious structural damage, so the Bucs are hopeful that he can play. It also helps that they kept him grounded a couple of weeks ago to prevent additional swelling at higher altitude. If things keep going in this direction, Brown will be cleared for the second Super Bowl of his career.
No New COVID Cases For Chiefs, Bucs
The latest round of testing revealed no new COVID-19 positives for players on the Chiefs or Buccaneers, as NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Barring any hitches, both teams should be set for Super Bowl LV on Sunday.
[RELATED: Chiefs’ Mitchell Schwartz Out For Super Bowl?]
The Chiefs were forced to place two players — center Daniel Kilgore and wide receiver Demarcus Robinson — on the COVID-19/reserve list earlier this week. Fortunately, neither player has tested positive, though they were in close contact with a barber who tested positive for the coronavirus.
Close-contact situations require only a five-day clearance, so both players should be able to suit up if they continue to test negative. Kilgore has mostly been a reserve for Kansas City this season, but he’s a valuable backup, having started 13 games for the Dolphins last year. Also, the Chiefs will likely be without the services of right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, so they’ll want Kilgore at the ready. Robinson plays a large role, so the Chiefs don’t want to lose him either. Robinson appeared in all 16 regular season games this year, racking up 45 catches for 466 yards and three touchdowns.