Buccaneers’ Shaquil Barrett Unsure About Signing Franchise Tag
Buccaneers defensive end Shaquil Barrett isn’t making any promises when it comes to the franchise tag. Before he was cuffed in mid-March, Barrett indicated that he would sign the tender. Now, that’s “up in the air.” 
[RELATED: Jets’ Jamal Adams Has Bucs On Trade Destination List]
“It’s still up in the air right now, about 50-50,” Barrett told NFL Network’s Colleen Wolfe. “We’ll find out a little more information on Friday.”
It’s not clear if Barrett is expecting an extension offer by Friday, or if he’s hinting at signing his tender by the end of the week. It’s believed that Barrett was tagged as a linebacker, rather than a defensive end, so the one-year placeholder would pay him $15.8MM. Defensive ends, meanwhile, are marked at $17.8MM for the franchise tag this year.
After spending four seasons in Von Miller‘s shadow, Barrett broke out with the Bucs. Last year, he shattered Bucs’ single-season record and led the league with 19.5 sacks, plus 37 total quarterback hits. After that performance, Barrett rightfully wants some long-term financial security.
“I’m gonna play off the tag [if] I got to but I do want that long-term deal,” Barrett said in March. “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.”
The two sides will have until July 15 to finalize an extension. If they can’t come to terms, they’ll have to wait until next year to resume negotiations.
Multiple Buccaneers Players Test Positive For COVID-19
At least two Buccaneers players have tested positive for COVID-19, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). In keeping with privacy laws, the team has not disclosed the identities of the positive players.
One Bucs assistant also tested positive earlier in the week, raising concerns about viral spread in the organization. The list of positive cases in the NFL seems to be growing larger and larger. COVID-19 has struck one 49ers player, Broncos safety Kareem Jackson, Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott, and many more – most of whom have remained anonymous.
The growing number of cases has the NFL considering an expansion of its contagious disease containment policy. Roster changes are also likely on the way – the league may move practice squads from 12 to 16 players because of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Dr. Anthony Fauci is pushing for a “bubble” strategy, one that would isolate players and NFL personnel from the community at large during the season.
For now, the NFL says it will test players three times per week in advance of training camp and possibly test more during the season. A single-location for games – like what the NBA is doing – is not currently being considered.
Jets’ Jamal Adams Has Bucs On Trade Destination List
Jamal Adams wants out. The Jets Pro Bowl safety has a few preferred spots in mind and he tells ex-NFL safety Ryan Clark that the Buccaneers are among the teams on his list (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). 
[RELATED: Adams Has Chiefs, 49ers, Cowboys On His List]
A trade to the Buccaneers would reunite Adams with Todd Bowles, his former head coach with the Jets. Bowles currently serves as the Bucs’ defensive coordinator and he’d surely love to add Adams to his secondary. And, even though they’re on the other side of the ball, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski would likely love to welcome their old divisional foe to Tampa Bay.
Adams is also said to have the Cowboys, Ravens, Texans, Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, and Seahawks on his not-so-short list. And, depending on where he lands, he’d reportedly be willing to wait on a contract extension. Still, teams taking the long view may be warded off by the sticker price. Ultimately, Adams is seeking a deal worth about $20MM/year – far beyond the ~$15MM/year it would take to make him the NFL’s all-time highest-paid safety.
The Jets, for now, are sticking to their position – they want to keep Adams for the long haul. But, in order to do that, they’ll have to pony up some serious cash, and get that offer in front of him quickly.
Bucs Assistant Coach Tests Positive For COVID-19
A Buccaneers assistant coach has tested positive for COVID-19, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Pursuant to the club’s safety protocols, two other assistants have been quarantined.
Fortunately, the coach that tested positive was asymptomatic, but as we creep closer to training camp and as more people return to team facilities, reports like these may become more common. The continued refinement of protocols and the expected increase of testing will be key in determining whether the league will be able to push forward with training camp and the regular season as it hopes.
The NFL permitted coaches to return to their respective facilities on June 5, though as Greg Auman of The Athletic points out, Tampa Bay’s coaches did not return until Monday, June 15. Auman also notes that positive tests are especially troublesome for the Bucs’ staff, which features a number of older coaches (including HC Bruce Arians, 67).
Of course, with training camp still over a month away, there is no cause for alarm just yet. Still, Tampa Bay is now the seventh team to have a player or coach diagnosed with COVID-19, which is not surprising, but it does underscore the difficulties that the league and its medical staff are facing.
Devonta Freeman: “A Number” Of Teams Have Interest In Signing Me
Devonta Freeman‘s free agency has dragged into June and could continue deep into the summer. For what it’s worth, the running back isn’t too concerned. On Twitter, Freeman let his fans know that “a number of teams are interested” in signing him. 
[RELATED: Devonta Freeman’s Asking Price Too High For Bucs]
“I read in the media that Tampa Bay Buccaneers are interested. A number of teams are interested, but we can’t negotiate through the media, the Buccaneers can reach out to me directly,” Freeman tweeted.
The Bucs – Freeman’s longtime divisional rival – do indeed have interest in Freeman, as conveyed by head coach Bruce Arians. However, Arians says that Freeman’s current sticker price is too rich for their blood. Previous reports indicated that the Bucs put an offer on the table for Freeman, but based on what the running back is saying, it sounds like the conversations came to a hard stop.
Freeman also received, and rejected a one-year, $3MM offer from the Seahawks. It’s not clear what the longtime Falcons star is demanding, but it’ll take more in the way of base compensation and probably an achievable incentives package to get him to sign right now. As we get closer to September, Freeman may or may not ease up on his stance. No matter what, Freeman says retirement is not on the table.
Freeman’s last deal was set to pay him about $8MM in 2020. There’s no way he’ll come close to that salary in base pay, but it stands to reason that he could find middle ground with the Bucs. The Bucs have upgraded much of their roster around Tom Brady, but RB remains a problem area. As of this writing, they’re set to roll out the promising yet inconsistent Ronald Jones as their top rusher with support from rookies Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Raymond Calais.
The Eagles are also interested in Freeman, though they may prefer the familiarity and price tag of LeSean McCoy. However, they have yet to make an offer to Shady.
Bucs Notes: Brady, TEs, OL, Free Agency
Tom Brady‘s transition to a new team in advance of his 21st NFL season has obviously been less than ideal, with the COVID-19 pandemic preventing the future Hall of Famer from working with teammates and coaches at the Buccaneers‘ facility. The first time the soon-to-be 43-year-old quarterback is expected to be permitted to enter his new team’s facilities will be training camp. But the Bucs do not plan to compensate for this by giving Brady more preseason work. Bruce Arians said Thursday he doubts Brady will need more preseason time to make up for the virtual offseason, per Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). Still, Brady’s preseason snaps figure to be more important than usual this year.
Here is the latest out of Tampa:
- Arians has not gotten much out of the tight end position during his stay as head coach in Arizona and Tampa. That should soon change. The Bucs currently house an all-time tight end stable, with Rob Gronkowski joining the team’s O.J. Howard–Cameron Brate duo already regarded as one of the NFL’s best. Arians said the Bucs will use a two-tight end offense as their base this season (via Auman, on Twitter). Going with more “12 personnel” looks would give Howard and Brate more time on the field and potentially represent an effort to conserve Gronkowski, who retired partially because of injury issues last year. This also points to the Bucs giving stronger consideration to keeping all three tight ends rather than trading Howard or Brate. Arians even said he’s interested in three-tight end looks.
- Tampa Bay is not expected to make a move to add interior offensive linemen to back up starters Ali Marpet, Alex Cappa and Ryan Jensen, Arians added (via Auman, on Twitter). The Bucs did not draft any guards or centers, but Arians likes what he has seen from backups Aaron Stinnie, Anthony Fabiano and Zack Bailey. A fifth-year blocker, Fabiano is now on his eighth team. Stinnie was a 2018 Titans UDFA; Bailey was a Bucs 2019 UDFA who spent much of last year on IR.
- However, the Bucs are keeping multiple roster spots open for possible veteran additions. Arians said (via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, on Twitter) he and GM Jason Licht discussed saving room for veterans who would be more prepared to play than rookie UDFAs. With Brady on a two-year deal, Tampa Bay stockpiling vets would make sense.
Devonta Freeman’s Asking Price Too High For Bucs
Interest in former Falcons RB Devonta Freeman has picked up significantly over the past couple of weeks. Atlanta released Freeman on March 16, and there were no public reports of interest in his services for some time, but the Jets, Eagles, Seahawks, and Buccaneers have recently kicked the tires on the two-time Pro Bowler.
Seattle ultimately filled its RB need by signing Carlos Hyde. The club submitted a one-year, $3MM pitch to Freeman, but when he did not sign, the Seahawks pivoted to Hyde, who landed a one-year pact worth up to $4MM with incentives. Philadelphia and Tampa have yet to pick up a veteran RB to add to their stable, and unless Freeman’s asking price comes down, he will not be joining up with the Bucs.
Tampa head coach Bruce Arians says his club would have interest in Freeman if his price tag wasn’t so high (Twitter link via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). The way he phrased that statement is interesting, because an earlier report from Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Enquirer suggested the Bucs had made an offer to Freeman, who was considering that proposal along with one he received from the Eagles. Arians’ statement today implies that Tampa either never made an offer or else is not willing to further engage until Freeman lowers his demands.
The Bucs were rumored as a potential landing spot for an RB upgrade earlier this offseason, as their depth chart is currently topped by 2018 second-rounder Ronald Jones, who had an up-and-down season in 2019 after a disastrous rookie campaign. GM Jason Licht has expressed confidence in Jones, but the team was looking for a pass-catching back to complement him, and Licht did pick up two RBs in the draft: Ke’Shawn Vaughn (third round) and Raymond Calais (seventh). Freeman profiles as a potential upgrade for a team that suddenly has Super Bowl aspirations.
For his part, Freeman recently shot down rumors that he is considering sitting out the 2020 season. He appears to be aiming for a 2020 payout closer to the one that he was scheduled to receive from the Falcons (about $8MM), but that’s likely not coming his way, as he is now two years removed from his last effective season.
Coaching Staffs Permitted To Return To Facilities
As expected, the NFL has issued a memo authorizing coaching staffs to return to their team’s facilities tomorrow, June 5, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). Rapoport passes along the relevant portion of the memo in a separate tweet.
The league further noted that teams can have up to 100 people in their facilities at any one time (subject to state and local regulations, of course). As of right now, only players undergoing medical treatment are permitted in the facilities, as has been the case. However, the memo did note that the league will continue working with team medical staffs to implement testing for coaches and other club personnel prior to green-lighting the return of players.
Despite some earlier rumblings that the league would try to squeeze in a belated minicamp, Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reiterates that the focus remains on getting coaches and players together for the scheduled start of training camp in July, not minicamp (Twitter link). Indeed, we have heard previously that some coaches would not take advantage of a minicamp even if one was authorized, and Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians said his players will not be at team facilities before training camp (Twitter link via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times).
That may be the case for most teams. As Mark Maske of the Washington Post notes (via Twitter), the NFL has left open the possibility of having players return on a limited basis later this month, but the union would have to agree to that, and it does not seem inclined to do so. In addition, multiple coaches tell Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com that they will remain away from facilities until training camp, in spite of today’s memo (Twitter link).
Still, this is a positive step towards the business-as-usual goal that the NFL has espoused all along. At this point, it appears as if only the 49ers‘ coaches will be unable to access their facilities tomorrow (Twitter link via Rapoport). Santa Clara County has been slower to lift restrictions than other Bay Area counties, as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets, but the team is in communication with local authorities to obtain the necessary permission as soon as possible.
Longest-Tenured GMs In The NFL
When we ran down the longest-tenured head coaches in the NFL, we found that less than half of the league’s current coaches have been in their positions for more than three years. That’s not quite the case with general managers, but there have been plenty of changes in recent years.
A handful of general managers have gotten to take their coats off and stay for a long while. Among coaches, Bill Belichick had joined his team prior to 2003. Here, you’ll see that five GMs have been with their teams since before ’03 (Belichick, of course, is also on this list). Two of those five – Jerry Jones and Mike Brown – are outliers, since they’re team owners and serve as de facto GMs. But the Patriots, Steelers, and Saints, have all had the same general managers making their roster decisions for well over a decade.
Here’s the complete list of the NFL’s longest-tenured GMs, along with the date they took over the job:
- Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
- Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
- Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000[3]
- Kevin Colbert (Pittsburgh Steelers): February 18, 2000[4]
- Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
- Rick Spielman (Minnesota Vikings): May 30, 2006[5]
- Thomas Dimitroff (Atlanta Falcons): January 13, 2008
- John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010[6]
- Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010
- John Elway (Denver Broncos): January 5, 2011[7]
- Les Snead (St. Louis Rams): February 10, 2012
- David Caldwell (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 8, 2013
- Steve Keim (Arizona Cardinals): January 8, 2013
- Tom Telesco (San Diego Chargers): January 9, 2013
- Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014
- Ryan Pace (Chicago Bears): January 8, 2015
- Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016
- Bob Quinn (Detroit Lions): January 8, 2016
- Jon Robinson (Tennessee Titans): January 14, 2016
- John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017
- Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017
- Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017
- Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017
- Marty Hurney (Carolina Panthers): July 19, 2017
- Dave Gettleman (New York Giants): December 28, 2017
- Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018
- Mike Mayock (Oakland Raiders): December 31, 2018
- Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
- Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019[8]
- Ron Rivera (Washington Redskins): January 1, 2020[9]
- Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020
- Bill O’Brien (Houston Texans): January 28, 2020
Footnotes:
- Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
- Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
- Belichick has been the Patriots’ de facto GM since shortly after being hired as the team’s head coach in January 2000.
- Colbert was initially hired as the team’s director of football operations and received the newly-created general manager title in 2011.
- Spielman was initially hired as the team’s VP of player personnel and received the GM title in 2012.
- While Schneider holds the title of GM, head coach Pete Carroll has the final say on roster moves for the Seahawks.
- Elway was initially hired as the team’s executive VP of football operations and received the GM title in 2014.
- In 2018, the Ravens announced that DeCosta would replace Ozzie Newsome as GM for Ozzie Newsome after the conclusion of the season. The Ravens’ ’18 season ended with their Wild Card loss to the Chargers on 1/6/19.
- Technically, the Redskins do not have a GM, as of this writing. Rivera is, effectively, their GM, working in tandem with Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith. Smith may receive the GM title in the near future.
Trade Candidate(s): Buccaneers’ O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate
To say that the Buccaneers are stacked at tight end would be a gross understatement. Even before the Bucs reunited Tom Brady with longtime teammate and bro Rob Gronkowski, they had the formidable 1-2 combo of O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate. Weeks after the draft, the Bucs still have that ludicrously talented TE trio in place. Logically, at least one of them probably has to go…and it obviously won’t be Gronk. 
The Buccaneers listened on trade offers for Brate and Howard towards the end of last month, but they didn’t get any offers to their liking. Publicly, the Bucs said they were okay with having all three TEs on the roster. Then, before the early May deadline, they exercised Howard’s fifth-year option for 2021. This doesn’t automatically mean that Brate is the odd man out, or that they’ll commit a total of ~$20MM to the position. Howard’s option – guaranteed for injury only – doesn’t hamper the Bucs’ ability to trade him. Also, this surplus of TEs would be opulent, even by Brady’s standards.
Howard, ostensibly, holds more trade value than Brate. The Alabama product hasn’t lived up to his first-round billing, but he’s flashed serious ability and uncommon athleticism for a 6’6″ receiver. The Bills saw that first-hand last year, as Howard went off for six catches, 98 yards, and two scores in Buffalo. And, roughly one year earlier against the Eagles, he got nearly as many yards, just with better efficiency – three catches for 96 yards, mostly thanks to a 75-yard connection with Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Teams aren’t sleeping on Brate, either. It’s true that he’ll turn 29 in July (Howard won’t be 26 until November), but he’s a proven playmaker and blocker. Between 2016 and 2017, he averaged 52 catches for 625 yards and seven TDs. After that, the Bucs rewarded him with a six-year, $41MM deal, including $18MM guaranteed. He’s been slowed by a surgically-repaired hip, but he’s more than a year removed from the operating table. It also helps that the Bucs restructured his deal in January. The exact terms of the restructure aren’t clear, but he’s probably on the books for less than the $4.5MM in guaranteed dollars he was slated for.
Howard wouldn’t be especially pricey for other teams, either – his rookie deal calls for a 2020 cap hit of just $3.5MM. The Bucs, meanwhile, would carry a $1.5MM charge for trading him.
The Bucs didn’t find any worthwhile deals for them in April, but interest should pick up between now and September. Even after drafting Cincinnati’s Josiah Deguara in the third round, the Packers could use a high-end TE to pair with Marcedes Lewis. The Bengals may also want to give the Bucs a call as they look to surround Joe Burrow with extra artillery. The list goes on. Depending on the asking price, the Bucs could have a market of 20+ teams for either Howard or Brate.