Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Jags, Bucs Discussed Leonard Fournette Trade

April 26th, 2020 at 9:33am CST by Rory Parks

The Jaguars, who have been trying to trade RB Leonard Fournette, contacted the Bucs about a potential deal, per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Tampa Bay, however, added a running back via the draft when it selected Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the third round on Friday night. The Bucs also picked up Raymond Calais in the seventh round.

Fournette would have made some sense in Tampa Bay, as the club was said to be seeking a pass-catching back to complement Ronald Jones, and Fournette did haul in 76 passes for 522 yards in 2019. But the Bucs opted to go with younger (and cheaper) options in Vaughn and Calais.

The Jags, meanwhile, did not add an RB of their own with any of their 12 picks, so Fournette remains on the club as the undisputed RB1. He was drawing tepid interest on the trade market, and it remains to be seen if the team will continue seeking a trade now that the draft is over.

The LSU product is set to earn $4MM+ in 2020 with a fifth-year option for 2021, priced at more than $10MM. The Jaguars have until early May to exercise that option, which is guaranteed for injury only since Fournette was selected in the 2017 draft.

Jacksonville also discussed a deal with the Dolphins, but Miami acquired Matt Breida from the 49ers for this year’s No. 153 overall pick.

Buccaneers Draft S Antoine Winfield Jr.

April 24th, 2020 at 7:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not that long ago, Antoine Winfield was a standout slot cornerback in the NFC. His son, Antoine Winfield Jr., became a second-round pick Friday, landing with the Buccaneers at No. 45 overall.

Capable of high-end slot coverage, as his father was in Minnesota and Buffalo, Antoine Winfield Jr. finished his Minnesota career as an All-American safety.

The Bucs did not have a safety grade in the top 60, per Pro Football Focus, last season. While Tampa Bay’s defense took a big leap in 2019 — finishing fifth in DVOA — the group needed help on its back end.

Winfield finished with seven interceptions as a senior and registered 83 tackles. Scouts Inc. ranked the 5-foot-9, 203-pound defensive back as its No. 29 overall prospect.

NFL Draft Rumors: Bengals, Colts, Bucs, Colts

April 24th, 2020 at 4:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals (No. 33) and Colts (No. 34) will kick off the second round and the belief is that they’re both targeting offensive help, Jonathan Jones of CBSSports.com tweets. Beyond that, he gets the sense that defensive tackle Ross Blacklock could be the first defensive player selected in the second round. Earlier today, we heard Blacklock mentioned as a possibility for the Bengals, but they might be more focused on providing help for Joe Burrow instead. That could lead them to Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims, one of the most intriguing talents left on the board.

Here’s the latest as we get set for the second night of the NFL Draft:

More from Jones (on Twitter), who says “everyone” he’s talked to around the league believes that the Panthers will go after Mims. As previously reported, they’ve been getting calls on wide receiver Curtis Samuel, though they’re not shopping him. Mims, or another wide receiver, could wind up taking Samuel’s spot on the depth chart. The Panthers’ currently sit at No. 38 overall (the sixth pick in the second round), which might not be good enough to get Mims.
Over the last two months, the Buccaneers and Colts have both been high on Washington quarterback Jacob Eason, Albert Breer of The MMQB hears. Eason remains available heading into Day 2 of the draft and both clubs profile as potential fits. Before the night is through, Eason could be tapped as the heir to Tom Brady or Philip Rivers, a perfect scenario for a QB easing into the pro game.
There weren’t a ton of trades in the first round, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The Falcons pushed hard to trade up for cornerback C.J. Henderson and the Raiders wanted to move back from No. 12 before taking Alabama wideout Henry Ruggs.

NFL Draft Rumors: Vikings, Jags, Redskins

April 24th, 2020 at 3:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings have “done a lot of work on” Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link), but Minnesota may have to move up in Round 2 in order to land him. Per Wolfson, the Vikings may need to get ahead of the Jaguars at No. 42 if they want to grab Cleveland. Minnesota’s second-round pick doesn’t come until No. 58 overall, so general manager Rick Spielman would need to work some magic in order to move up. Luckily, the Vikings have 12 picks remaining in the draft that could be used as trade ammunition.

Here’s more on the 2020 draft:

Speaking of the Vikings and offensive tackles, the ideas of Minnesota acquiring Redskins tackle Trent Williams and moving up in Round 2 aren’t mutually exclusive, as Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune tweets. Washington wants draft capital it can use this year, and while the club has been asking for a second-round pick, the Redskins could also accept a combination of selections that add up to the value of a second-rounder, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Minnesota could use any number of those aforementioned 12 remaining picks in order to patch together an offer for Williams.
Two clubs were attempting to move into the Buccaneers‘ No. 14 slot in order to land Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs, which prompted Tampa Bay to move up one spot into No. 13 and take Wirfs for themselves, reports Jenna Laine of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Presumably, the Bucs figured teams moving to No. 14 would also be trying to move to No. 13, which was held by San Francisco. Instead, Tampa Bay shipped a fourth-round pick to the 49ers and added Tom Brady‘s new right tackle.
When the Raiders‘ first came on the clock at No. 12, the club’s initial discussions involved offensive tackles, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. Oakland’s interest in tackles is a little puzzling, as it already has 2018 first-rounder Kolton Miller on the left side and the high-priced Trent Brown on the right. Eventually, the Raiders settled on Alabama wideout Henry Ruggs.

49ers Trade 13th Pick To Buccaneers

April 23rd, 2020 at 8:48pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ve finally got our first trade of the evening. Plenty of teams in the top ten were listening to calls, but apparently nobody got an offer worth taking.

The 49ers are making the first move, trading back one slot with the Buccaneers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). In order to get the 13th pick Tampa will send the 14th pick and the 117th pick, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The 49ers will also send back the 245th pick as part of the deal.

The Bucs are using the selection to add some protection for Tom Brady, as they’re drafting Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs with the pick. San Francisco previously didn’t have any picks in the second, third, or fourth-rounds, so they were widely expected to explore trading down from one of their two first-rounders.

They are also currently scheduled to pick 31st later tonight, and GM John Lynch clearly wanted to get an extra mid-rounder. Since the Bucs are only moving up one spot, it’s likely the 49ers were threatening to move the pick to a different team who also wanted a tackle like Tampa did.

Buccaneers Want To Keep O.J. Howard

April 23rd, 2020 at 4:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Buccaneers trading for Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard trade rumors have emerged. But Jason Licht is attempting to quiet them.

The Bucs GM said Thursday he wants to have both Gronk and Howard on the 2020 team, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

“We’re excited about having O.J. Howard play with Rob Gronkowski,” Licht said. “Why wouldn’t you want to have many weapons at that position? We have an excellent tight end group right now.”

This group includes Cameron Brate, who is signed to a $6.8MM-per-year deal. Howard’s rookie contract runs through 2020, though the Bucs can extend it to 2021 via the fifth-year option. Gronkowski is under contract for one more season and, having just unretired, obviously should be treated as a year-to-year player at this point.

A another report pointed to the Bucs indeed being interested in moving their 2017 first-round pick. Another indicated the Bucs were discussing a Howard deal with the tight end-needy Redskins — a swap that would have brought Trent Williams to Tampa — at least a month ago. Howard was also in trade rumors before the 2019 deadline, having not fit into Bruce Arians‘ offense as well as he had Dirk Koetter‘s.

It would be surprising if Tampa Bay kept all three tight ends, but the team would have one of the great tight end stables in NFL history if it chose to do so. Gronkowski has not exactly been a beacon of health during his career, so the Bucs keeping Brate and Howard would make sense from an insurance standpoint. But the two holdovers may not be especially happy with their roles during the games Gronk plays.

Gronk: I Told Tom Brady I Wanted To Play Months Ago

April 23rd, 2020 at 2:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this week, Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement and pushed the Patriots to trade him to the Buccaneers. Publicly, the tight end hid his intentions, but he says Tom Brady has known about his plans for a while now.

“We rarely talked about what his decision was gonna be, where I’m at,” Gronkowski said of their winter talks (via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine). “But we did talk about [it] for one second. I told him that — we talked just real quick — like, ‘Hey, I’m kinda getting that fire underneath me again.’

“I said, ‘I’m definitely interested in your decision that you make.’ I didn’t put any pressure on him. I said, ‘If there’s a right opportunity out there, and you go somewhere and that opportunity is right – even if you go back to the Patriots and I feel like the opportunity is right – there’s a possible chance that I would definitely love to reconnect.'”

Brady, per Gronk, was “all fired up and juiced up” about the potential reunion. Now, they’ll look to pick up where they left off – the duo connected for 78 touchdowns across nine years together in New England. There should be plenty more to come, with better weather to boot.

Of course, this won’t be welcome news to fans in New England who were clamoring for Gronk last season. While the veteran’s 2018 campaign (47 receptions, 682 yards, three touchdowns) weren’t up to his normal standards, they still proved to be better than the numbers put up by New England’s tight ends in 2019. The Patriots got 36 receptions and two touchdowns from the trio of Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse, and Ryan Izzo last year.

Buccaneers Eyeing Mekhi Becton?

April 23rd, 2020 at 1:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have their sights set on Mekhi Becton as Tom Brady‘s new protector, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network hears. If they don’t get the Louisville product, Pauline hears that they’ll look to trade out of the No. 14 pick.

Becton – who stands at 6’7″ and 364 pounds – has scouts all over the league buzzing. With the size of Trent Brown and a 5.1-second 40-yard dash, he’s a virtual lock for the first round and a strong consideration for teams in the Top 10. Georgia’s Andrew Thomas may represent a “safer” option among this year’s top-flight offensive linemen, but Becton is viewed as the highest-ceiling tackle.

Last week, we learned that Becton popped positive at the NFL Combine, but that shouldn’t impact his stock all that much as the draft closes in. Becton is coming off of a breakout season in which he registered 60 knockdown blocks, and he’s a rare talent at a paper-thin position in the league. The Bucs, at No. 14, could very well represent his floor in tonight’s draft.

In any scenario, the Bucs figure to exit the first round with a top tackle. Earlier this year, they explored a deal for veteran Trent Williams that would have sent tight end O.J. Howard to the Redskins, but those talks have not been rekindled.

Buccaneers Haven’t Pursued Redskins’ Trent Williams This Week

April 22nd, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Two months ago, the Buccaneers nearly shipped tight end O.J. Howard to the Redskins in a deal that would have landed them Trent Williams. However, there are no active talks on Williams between the two teams, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.

Taking finances out of consideration, the Howard-for-Williams scenario would make more sense than ever right now. The arrival of Rob Gronkowski arguably makes Howard an expendable luxury and the Bucs still need quality protection for Tom Brady. Meanwhile, the Redskins are still looking to solidify the tight end position after parting ways with Jordan Reed. While sensible – again, when taking cap limitations and Williams’ demand for a hefty new contract out of the equation – nothing seems to be in the works between the Redskins and Bucs at present.

Instead, the Redskins could look to mid-round tight end options in this year’s class, or explore the late wave of available veterans. Last week, the Bears put Trey Burton on the free agent pile – he could be a low-risk option on a one-year deal with a modest base and incentives.

For the Bucs, the lack of Williams talk may signal a trade up for one of this year’s best offensive linemen. Bucs GM Jason Licht is already burning up the phone lines to explore a move, one that could put him in range for Mekhi Becton (Louisville), Jedrick Wills (Alabama), Tristan Wirfs (Iowa), or Andrew Thomas (Georgia).

Tom Brady Didn’t Demand Gronk

April 22nd, 2020 at 1:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Tom Brady made no demands for a Tampa reunion with longtime pal Rob Gronkowski, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. However, the QB did “mention” to head coach Bruce Arians and GM Jason Licht that Gronk would love to play for the Buccaneers.

The speculation over Gronk’s potential return to football has raged ever since his retirement in March of 2019. Once Brady left the Patriots for the Bucs in March of this year, everyone connected the dots, speculating that Gronk could force a move to Florida. This week, the deal went down. Gronkowski will be traded to the Bucs, along with a seventh-round pick. In exchange, the Patriots will receive a fourth-round pick in this weekend’s draft, a compensatory pick at No. 139 overall.

To date, Gronkowski has registered 521 receptions, 7,861 yards, and 79 touchdowns over the course of his legendary career. The majority of those throws, of course, came from Brady. Together, they’ve racked up multiple Super Bowl rings while securing their status as future first ballot Hall of Famers.

Gronk, the one-man fiesta, will look to silence any on-field doubts after a down 2018. In his last NFL season, he appeared in 13 games, catching 47 passes for 682 yards and three touchdowns. Still, with incredible offensive skills plus blocking ability, he’s one of the best (if not the best) tight ends of all-time.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors