Buccaneers To Tag Shaquil Barrett
The Buccaneers will follow through on their plan to use their franchise tag on Shaquil Barrett, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Rumors for weeks have placed Barrett atop Tampa Bay’s free agent hierarchy, and this decision means Jameis Winston is less than three hours away from de facto free agency. The legal tampering period begins at 10:59am CT, and Bucs’ five-year starting quarterback will double as one of the more interesting free agents in recent memory.
After serving as one of Von Miller‘s supporting-casters in Denver for four seasons, and not producing too much statistically, Barrett only received offers from two teams in 2019 free agency. He then shattered the Bucs’ single-season sack record, posting an NFL-high 19.5 to go along with 37 quarterback hits.
This tag would give Barrett $15.8MM (the linebacker price) or $17.8MM (should he win a potential grievance to be tagged as a defensive end).
The sides will have until July 15 to finalize an extension. Barrett, 27, said recently he would play the 2020 season on the tag. Bruce Arians has also indicated he would like to keep Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh. The Bucs made the first step Monday morning. They might have to outwork outside competition to hang onto Suh and JPP.
Bucs Not Expected To Re-Sign Breshad Perriman
In the wake of injuries to star wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Bucs receiver Breshad Perriman put together a very impressive showing at the end of the 2019 season. From Weeks 15 to 17, the big-play threat caught 17 passes for 349 yards and four TDs, so he re-enters the free agent market with plenty of momentum.
It’s quite a swing for Perriman, a 2015 first-round pick of the Ravens who busted out of Baltimore due to injuries and inconsistent play and who caught on with the Browns in October 2018 after being cut by the Ravens and the Redskins the month before. He flashed some ability with Cleveland, and he actually agreed to re-up with the Browns last year before the team acquired Odell Beckham Jr. and allowed Perriman to back out of his deal. The UCF product subsequently signed with the Bucs, and though he didn’t do much through the first 12 weeks of the 2019 season, he made the most out of his increased workload down the stretch.
While Tampa Bay has plenty of cap space, the club will focus most of those dollars on defense and QB. Plus, this year’s draft is remarkably deep at WR, so Jenna Laine of ESPN.com does not expect the Bucs to bring Perriman back (Twitter link).
Perriman, though, will have a market. We heard earlier today that the Jets could make a run at him if they can’t re-sign Robby Anderson, and any number of teams in need of a field-stretching target could be interested.
Shaq Barrett Willing To Play Under Tag
The Buccaneers are widely expected to use the franchise tag on breakout pass rusher Shaq Barrett, and while Barrett obviously wants the security of a long-term deal, he is open to playing out the 2020 season under the tag.
“I’m gonna play off the tag [if] I got to but I do want that long-term deal,” Barrett said (via Jelani Scott of NFL.com). “It’s all about security for me and my family; that’s all I’ve been fighting for my whole time in the NFL. Even a franchise tag, I’m still getting the security too but I just want a long contract and long-term security.”
Indeed, even one year of franchise tag money (about $16MM for a linebacker like Barrett) would dwarf the roughly $10MM he has earned in six professional seasons to date. And maybe the Bucs, who are flush with cap space and who can therefore afford to carry Barrett under the tag, would like to see if his breakout 2019 season was sustainable before committing to a long-term pact.
But one way or another, both sides have made it clear that they plan to continue their relationship through at least the 2020 season. And if the Bucs are successful in their pursuit of QB Tom Brady, things could get very interesting in Tampa this year.
Minor NFL Transactions: 3/13/20
Today’s minor moves:
Houston Texans
- Re-signed: LB Tyrell Adams
Minnesota Vikings
- Released with failed physical designation: TE David Morgan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Re-signed exclusive rights free agent: TE Tanner Hudson
Bucs Unlikely To Trade For David Johnson
Some have speculated that Bucs head coach Bruce Arians could make a play for his old pal David Johnson. However, if the Cardinals try to trade the running back, it’s unlikely that the Bucs will be in the mix, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 
The Cardinals have gone on the record to say that cutting Johnson is “not an option.” The running back is due $13MM/year on his monster contract and releasing him would saddle the team with a $16.2MM dead money hit. If he remains on the team, he’d carry a $14.1MM cap charge for the 2020 season.
Johnson’s was once one of the league’s very best running backs. But, thanks to ankle and back injuries, he’s looked nothing like his old self. Last year, the Cardinals limited his carries and acquired Kenyan Drake via trade before the deadline, further downsizing his role. Drake, meanwhile, is on course to be a free agent later this month.
Even if Drake returns, the Cardinals have not discounted the possibility of keeping Johnson as backfield reinforcement. Then again, they don’t have a whole lot of options. Johnson, simply put, is not the player he used to be, and his contract is an anchor.
Last year, Johnson missed time and averaged just 3.7 yards on 94 totes. His last big year came in 2016, when he earned Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro nods as he ran for 1,239 yards. Before that, he put his name on the map as a rookie by averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Buccaneers “All In” On Tom Brady
The Buccaneers are “going all in” on legendary signal-caller Tom Brady, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay, of course, has been connected to Brady in recent rumors, but it was difficult to determine how serious the team’s interest was. Apparently, it’s very serious.
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians has generally been non-committal towards incumbent passer Jameis Winston, who, like Brady, is eligible for free agency. Stroud says Arians wants to move on from Winston, and GM Jason Licht is willing to defer to his head coach.
Licht and Arians certainly have plenty to offer Brady. The club is among the league leaders in cap space and will have plenty of money to lure Brady to sunny, family-friendly Tampa while giving him a two- or three-year deal. The Bucs also have a dynamic pair of receivers and a talented (if uncertain) tight end, and they plan to add the type of pass-catching back that Brady covets. They also plan to draft an offensive tackle to shore up his protection, and Stroud says they will probably add a receiver from the immensely deep class of collegiate wideouts.
The Bucs will also allow Brady to take charge of the offense, and the fact that Florida has no state income tax will only help the team’s push. The defense also looks like a unit on the rise, so if you squint hard enough, you can see Tampa Bay as a contender with Brady under center.
If Brady chooses to sign elsewhere, Stroud says the Bucs’ fallback options are Teddy Bridgewater and Philip Rivers, in that order. Failing that, a reunion with Winston could still be in play, but that is sounding increasingly like a worst-case scenario for the Bucs.
NFL Announces Compensatory Picks For 2020 Draft
The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2020 draft.
These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2019 offseason. This year, the Patriots top the list (shared below) with a league-high four picks.
The comp pick formula assigns picks who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks. The Ravens collected two this year and remain in the all-time lead (from 1994-2020) with 52. No other franchise has accumulated more than 43 compensatory picks.
Here’s the full breakdown, by round and by team:
By Round:
Round 3: Texans (No. 97 overall), Patriots (98), Giants (99), Patriots (100), Seahawks (101), Steelers (102), Eagles (103), Rams (104), Vikings (105), Ravens (106)
Round 4: Buccaneers (No. 139), Bears (140), Dolphins (141), Redskins (142), Ravens (143), Seahawks (144), Eagles (145), Eagles (146)
Round 5: Broncos (No. 178), Cowboys (179)
Round 6: Patriots (No. 212), Patriots (213), Seahawks (214)
Round 7: Giants (No. 247), Texans (248), Vikings (249), Texans (250), Dolphins (251), Broncos (252), Vikings (253), Broncos (254), Giants (255)
By Team:
- New England Patriots (4)
- Denver Broncos (3)
- Houston Texans (3)
- Minnesota Vikings (3)
- New York Giants (3)
- Philadelphia Eagles (3)
- Baltimore Ravens (2)
- Miami Dolphins (2)
- Chicago Bears (1)
- Dallas Cowboys (1)
- Los Angeles Rams (1)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)
- Washington Redskins (1)
The compensatory free agents lost and gained in 2019 by the clubs that will receive compensatory picks in the 2020 draft:
- Baltimore Ravens
- Lost: John Brown, C.J. Mosley, Za’Darius Smith, Terrell Suggs
- Gained: Mark Ingram, Earl Thomas
- Chicago Bears
- Lost: Adrian Amos, Josh Bellamy, Bryce Callahan, Eric Kush
- Gained: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Cordarrelle Patterson, Buster Skrine
- Dallas Cowboys
- Lost: Cole Beasley, Geoff Swaim, Damien Wilson
- Gained: Randall Cobb, Christian Covington
- Denver Broncos
- Lost: Shaquil Barrett, Tramaine Brock, Max Garcia, Matt Paradis, Bradley Roby, Billy Turner
- Gained: Bryce Callahan, Kareem Jackson, Ja’Wuan James
- Houston Texans
- Lost: Christian Covington, Kareem Jackson, Kendall Lamm, Tyrann Mathieu
- Gained: Bradley Roby
- Los Angeles Rams
- Lost: Lamarcus Joyner, Rodger Saffold
- Gained: Clay Matthews
- Miami Dolphins
- Lost: Brandon Bolden, Frank Gore, Ja’Wuan James, Cameron Wake
- Gained: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Eric Rowe
- Minnesota Vikings
- Lost: Tom Compton, Nick Easton, Sheldon Richardson, Trevor Siemian
- Gained: Shamar Stephen
- New England Patriots
- Lost: Malcom Brown, Trent Brown, Trey Flowers, Chris Hogan, Cordarrelle Patterson, Eric Rowe, LaAdrian Waddle
- Gained: Brandon Bolden
- New York Giants
- Lost: Jamon Brown, Landon Collins, Mario Edwards, Josh Mauro, B.W. Webb, Kerry Wynn
- Gained: Markus Golden, Golden Tate
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Lost: Nick Foles, Jordan Hicks, Golden Tate
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Lost: Le’Veon Bell, Jesse James
- Gained: Steven Nelson
- Seattle Seahawks
- Lost: Justin Coleman, Brett Hundley, Shamar Stephen, J.R. Sweezy, Earl Thomas
- Gained: Mike Iupati, Jason Myers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Washington Redskins
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/9/20
Today’s restricted free agent and exclusive rights free agent tender decisions will be posted below:
RFAs
Non-tendered:
- Buccaneers: OL Mike Liedtke
Liedtke has been with the Buccaneers organization since 2016, bouncing between the active roster and practice squad. He appeared in a career-high nine games for Tampa Bay in 2018. He missed the entire 2019 campaign thanks to shoulder surgery, but Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets that the 28-year-old is “almost fully recovered.”
Bucs Hire ST Assistant
- The Buccaneers have made a minor addition to Bruce Arians’ coaching staff. Tampa has hired Keith Tandy as their new special teams assistant, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link). As Auman points out it’s a familiar name, since Tandy spent six years with the Bucs as a player from 2012-17. The former safety from West Virginia spent some time with the Falcons in 2018 before hanging up his cleats.
Bucs Monitoring Ryan Tannehill
The Buccaneers are monitoring soon-to-be free agent Ryan Tannehill, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. Teams are not permitted to talk to pending FAs until the legal tampering period begins, but Tannehill is among the quarterbacks on their radar. 
“March 16, we’ll have a lot more clarity,” general manager Jason Licht said recently. “You hear things on the street, but you just wait for the dominoes to fall a little bit and you’re prepared for every scenario.”
A refresher on the 2020 NFL offseason calendar: March 16 is the start of the “legal tampering” period in which teams are allowed to engage in conversations with free agents before they officially become available on March 18, when the league year begins (Of course, teams tend to chat with agents well before those dates to get a sense for where the market stands).
The March 12th deadline to franchise tag players will also be a factor for the Bucs as they consider Tannehill as a potential replacement for Jameis Winston. The Titans are aiming to lock up Tannehill before that date and use the tag on running back Derrick Henry. There’s mutual interest in a new deal between Tannehill and Tennessee, but nothing is certain around this time of year.
As previously reported, Laine also notes that the Bucs are also keeping tabs on Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, and Teddy Bridgewater. Few expect Brady to land in Tampa and there’s increasing chatter about Rivers going to the Colts. Even if those two aren’t on the table, Bridgewater would be an intriguing pickup for the Bucs, should they choose to part with Winston.