Bucs Re-Sign LB Devante Bond
The Buccaneers re-signed linebacker Devante Bond to a one-year deal, as Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal for the league minimum, so it won’t put a dent in the Bucs’ limited cap space. 
Bond, 26 in July, has appeared in 25 games (six starts) for the Bucs over the last two seasons. In 2018, he registered 22 total tackles, which more than quintupled his showing from 2017.
The Bond deal marks the Bucs’ second move of the day, though it pales in comparison to the first. On Tuesday morning, the Bucs re-upped offensive tackle Donovan Smith on a three-year, $41.25MM deal with $27MM guaranteed.
In other Bucs news, the team recently decided against tendering safety Andrew Adams. Also, contrary to some speculation, the Bucs are not shopping linebacker Lavonte David.
Bucs, Donovan Smith Agree To Extension
Buccaneers tackle Donovan Smith received a small fortune in a new deal with the club. Smith has agreed to a new three-year, $41.25MM deal including $27MM guaranteed at signing, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
The new deal positions Smith as the fourth-highest paid offensive tackle in the league behind Taylor Lewan, Nate Solder, and Jake Matthews. Meanwhile, he graded out as just the No. 46 ranked tackle in the NFL in 2018, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. His so-so 66.4 score was roughly in line with his scores from the previous three seasons.
The Bucs were planning to apply the franchise tag to Smith, which would have earmarked him for $14.077MM this year. Instead, the long term deal smooths out the cap hit slightly and keeps him under club control through 2021.
Smith’s payout is indicative of the lack of offensive tackle talent throughout the NFL. Elite tackles in their prime rarely reach the open market, which has driven up the price for lower-tier options such as Smith. That means a similarly large deal could be on the way for Dolphins free agent Ja’Wuan James, even though James is not among the best at the right tackle position.
Smith’s durability likely gave the Bucs additional comfort in the deal. According to the team, he’s just the second player in franchise history to start every game in his first four seasons. The pact will also keep things consistent on the O-Line after they locked up fellow 2015 draftee Ali Marpet on a pricey extension last year.
Bucs To Franchise Tag Donovan Smith
The Buccaneers will place the franchise tag on left tackle Donovan Smith between now and the March 5 deadline, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. At the same time, Stroud hears extension talks are going well, so a long-term deal could be hammered out between now and the extension deadline for franchised players on July 15. 
Smith, 26 in June, has started in every single game for the Bucs since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2015. He not exactly a star on the offensive line, but the Bucs do not want to lose him at a time when it is hard to find reliable tackles.
Smith graded out as just the No. 46 ranked tackle in the NFL last year, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. His so-so 66.4 score was roughly in line with his scores from the previous three seasons.
Tagging Smith would cost the Bucs $14.077MM for the 2019 season. A long-term deal, presumably, would call for upwards of $10MM per year. That’s a big chunk of change for an average starter, but Dolphins free agent Ja’Wuan James is also expected to clear that hurdle if he reaches the open market in March.
Buccaneers Won’t Tender S Andrew Adams
The Buccaneers have decided to move on from one of their top safeties. Greg Auman of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the team won’t be tendering restricted free agent safety Andrew Adams.
It’s a bit of a surprising development for the 26-year-old, who led the Buccaneers with four interceptions last season. The former undrafted free agent also compiled nine passes defended and 38 tackles, his third-straight season with at least 30 tackles. On the flip side, he ultimately ranked 78th in Pro Football Focus‘ safety rankings, and he earned his worst score in three years
Ultimately, the team decided that the $2.05MM tender value was too much. However, Auman cautions that the organization could look to bring Adams back at a lesser value. That could be a good decision for defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers coaching staff, as former starter Chris Conte is set to his free agency.
The Buccaneers currently have three safeties under contract for the 2019 season: Jordan Whitehead, Justin Evans, and M.J. Stewart.
Bucs Not Shopping David
- There were some rumors online that the Buccaneers could be shopping linebacker Lavonte David at the combine, but those apparently are false. Multiple sources told Jenna Laine of ESPN.com that David “is going nowhere.” David is still only 29 and received very good marks from Pro Football Focus last year, so it makes sense that the Bucs would want to keep him in the fold as they rebuild their porous defense.
Bucs Rumors: Brown, Steelers, Smith
We could see a lot of change in Tampa this year, but do not expect the Buccaneers to pursue Antonio Brown, GM Jason Licht says (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert).
From a talent perspective, the Bucs would surely like to have Brown on the roster. However, a Brown trade would require the forfeiture of significant draft capital and would hurt the team’s cap room, effectively forcing them to mortgage the future for a soon-to-be 31-year-old.
For now, the Bucs seem intent on keeping deep threat DeSean Jackson, though it remains to be seen whether they can hang on to pending free agent Adam Humphries.
Here’s more on the Bucs:
- “I don’t envision Donovan Smith being anywhere else but the Bucs, at least for next year,” Licht said on SiriusXM (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). He added that the franchise tag is “more than likely” for the left tackle. This jibes with what we’ve heard previously. if the Bucs follow through on that plan, they’ll be even less likely to keep their hands on Humphries.
- Bruce Arians’ recent chat with Jackson went well, according to the Bucs’ new head coach. “It went great. We had a long sit-down. From my perspective, it couldn’t have been any better,” Arians said (via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com). “You’d have to talk to DeSean to find out what his perspective is. But I thought it was great. I look forward to working with him. Ton of respect for him as a player … and a person.” Licht, meanwhile, was non-committal when asked about D-Jax.
- Licht was similarly non-committal when asked about six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, who carries a $13MM cap hit in 2019 and is under contract through 2021. “Gerald’s been a real productive, successful player for the Bucs — one of the Bucs’ all-time best defensive players, you could argue,” Licht said. “He’s under contract. Ideally, [we’d] love it if he continued to be a Buc.” For what it’s worth, rumor has it that the Bucs see McCoy as a good fit, even as they transition to a 3-4 scheme.
- Rising sophomore M.J. Stewart will get looks at several positions but “we’d love to see him at safety,” Licht said (Twitter link via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). Last year, the 2018 second-round pick spent the bulk of his eleven games (five starts) at cornerback. He finished out with 33 tackles and three passes defensed.
- Licht noted that the Bucs can keep running back Peyton Barber with a high tender in order to keep him from free agency, which may give some insight into the team’s plans (via Auman). A second-round tender at just over $3MM should ward away other interested clubs.
- Caleb Benenoch struggled in 2018 as the team’s right guard and Licht believes that a switch to tackle is in his future, Auman writes. The change would mean a backup role, so Auman wonders if his job will be safe given his scheduled $2MM salary for ’19.
Buccaneers’ DeSean Jackson Hires Agent
Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson has an agent once again. After parting ways with Joel Segal sometime during the offseason, Jackson has hired Brad Cicala of Terra Firma Sports to represent him, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Buccaneers Prepared To Tag Donovan Smith]
At this juncture, it would have been foolish of Jackson to proceed without an agent. He’s under contract with the Bucs for one more season at a $10MM cap number, but that could be too costly for team brass. Meanwhile, Jackson has been non-committal on his future in Tampa while suggesting that he would be a strong fit with the Rams.
“If anything, I would like to kind of end up in L.A., being a Ram,” Jackson said in late January. “Sean McVay, you know, we got some connection from when I was in D.C., but we’ll see how it plays out, man. Right now, I got another year in Tampa. So we’ll see how it plays out, man.”
Last year, Jackson averaged 18.9 yards per reception and led the league in the category for the fourth time in his career. His overall stat line – 41 catches for 774 yards and four touchdowns – was far below his career average, but Jackson still profiles as one of the NFL’s best deep threats. There are clearly issues to be worked out between Jackson and the Bucs, but it’s possible that he’ll want to play under new head coach Bruce Arians. Arians, for his part, wants DJax back.
Buccaneers Prepared To Tag Donovan Smith
More buzz points to the Buccaneers keeping Donovan Smith. After a report indicated the Bucs were not likely to let Smith walk in free agency, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times follows that up by noting the team will, in fact, use its franchise tag to keep the left tackle — barring a pre-free agency deal coming to fruition. The Bucs will talk with Smith’s representatives at the Combine. While the team is up against the salary cap and changed coaches, Stroud adds the Bucs are eager to see how Smith progresses under new offensive line coach Joe Gilbert and new run game coordinator Harold Goodwin. Tampa Bay already has three offensive linemen signed to veteran-starter-level contracts — Ryan Jensen, Ali Marpet and Demar Dotson. But shedding Dotson’s deal in advance of the right tackle’s age-34 season would free up nearly $5MM. A 10-year Buccaneer, Dotson has one season left on his deal. It stands to cost more than $14MM for the Bucs to tag Smith.
- A Smith tag would make it less likely Adam Humphries returns. Although the Bucs are high on their slot receiver, Stroud notes he was eyeing an $8MM-AAV pact prior to his career-best 2018 season. With receiver not a particularly strong position this year — though, some key names will be available — Humphries can probably command a deal worth more than the Bucs ($15MM-plus in cap space) can afford.
Buccaneers Offered Third-Rounder For Landon Collins In 2018
Prior to the 2018 trade deadline, the struggling Giants made multiple deals to collect future draft capital. They dealt Damon Harrison and Eli Apple and received fourth-, fifth- and seventh-round picks in those exchanges.
However, the Buccaneers were willing to give up a better pick for Landon Collins. Near the deadline, Tampa Bay offered a third-round choice for the All-Pro safety, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. The Bucs did not profile as buyers last season but identified Collins as a player they wanted to keep around long-term, rather than a contract-year rental player, per Vacchiano.
While Tampa Bay has a new coaching staff, GM Jason Licht remains in place. He traded a 2018 third-round pick to the Giants for Jason Pierre-Paul. The Bucs could be a Collins suitor in free agency. They are still in need of help at a few spots on defense. After allowing the most passing yards in 2017, the Bucs’ defense yielded the 26th-most in 2018.
However, the Giants may prevent that from happening. They are still expected to place the franchise tag on the three-time Pro Bowler, but an extension may be difficult. A Collins tag would cost the Giants more than $11MM, and with no known negotiations having taken place since he became extension-eligible last year, this could become a reluctant rental situation. If tagged, Collins is pondering a holdout.
Just 25, Collins would stand to pursue a top-end safety pact, with Vacchiano noting this could eclipse $12MM per year and surpass $20MM guaranteed. The Giants have $28MM-plus in cap space — 16th in the league — and needs exist at several spots on Big Blue’s defense.
Poll: Where Will Le’Veon Bell Sign This Offseason?
We got confirmation a few days ago that the Steelers won’t attempt to tag and trade Le’Veon Bell, and will let him walk as a free agent. Bell, of course, sat out the entire 2018 season over his contract dispute with Pittsburgh, and we heard just yesterday that he’s seeking a total of $50MM over the first two years of a new deal from salary and signing bonuses.
It’s unclear if Bell will be able to get the huge payday he wants, but he’ll still have a very active market either way with no shortage of suitors. Today, we’ll be taking a look at his most likely destinations.
The Jets have been widely seen as the frontrunner for a while, and will have plenty of cap space available. GM Mike Maccagnan has been signaling for months now that the team will be aggressive in free agency, so New York would seem to be a good fit. It’s already been reported that they won’t be bringing back Isaiah Crowell, so they’ll have a void at running back. Bell would be a nice weapon and safety blanket for Sam Darnold in the passing game. That being said, the Jets apparently have some concern about Bell’s weight and conditioning. Still, the fact that they’re even concerned implies they’re interested.
The Colts have also been linked to Bell for a while now. Coming into the 2018 season they seemed to have a hole at running back, but Marlon Mack performed very well down the stretch. Mack’s emergence could take the team out of the Bell sweepstakes, but they’ll still have a lot of money to spend and could really use better options for Andrew Luck in the passing game aside from T.Y. Hilton.
The Buccaneers are another team that has been frequently mentioned in conjunction with Bell, and are sorely lacking at running back. Last year’s second round pick Ronald Jones didn’t do anything, and Peyton Barber isn’t a viable featured back. New coach Bruce Arians loves to be aggressive, and pursuing a player like Bell would fit him. The Buccaneers are stacked at wide receiver and tight end, and adding Bell would make them one of the most talented offenses in the league.
The Eagles are another playoff-contending team that is missing a featured back, and Bell staying in the state of Pennsylvania has been picking up some steam recently. Darren Sproles is 35 and not much of a runner, Jay Ajayi can never seem to stay healthy, and the young guys behind them have been very inconsistent. The Eagles’ front office is one of the most aggressive in the league, so them making an offer for Bell wouldn’t be at all surprising. Daryl Slater of NJ.com recently listed the Eagles as among his likeliest destinations for Bell.
So, what do you think? Where will Bell end up next season after his year out of the league? Vote in PFR’s latest poll (link for app users) and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!
Where Will Le'Veon Bell Sign This Offseason?
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Jets 31% (1,269)
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Other 24% (983)
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Colts 19% (777)
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Eagles 16% (682)
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Buccaneers 11% (436)
Total votes: 4,147