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Tampa Bay Buccaneers News & Rumors

Buccaneers Want To Retain WR Adam Humphries

By | at January 6, 2019 6:52 pm

The Buccaneers are focused on retaining one of their top wideouts. General manager Jason Licht told Greg Auman of The Athletic that Tampa Bay is “going to do everything [they] can to get Adam Humphries back in the mix” (Twitter link).

As Auman notes, the team previously tried to extend the impending free agent. However, Humphries decided to bet on himself, and it ultimately worked out in the 25-year-old’s favor. Humphries had his best professional season in 2018, finishing with 76 receptions, 816 yards, and five touchdowns. This performance earned him the 30th-best score among 122 eligible wideouts, per Pro Football Focus.

A former undrafted free agent out of Clemson, Humphries has spent his entire four-year career in Tampa Bay. He’s finished with at least 600 receiving yards in each of the past three years, and he’s also spent plenty of time on special teams. Humphries finished the 2018 season with 21 punt returns for 139 yards.

The organization is hoping Humphries will be back in Tampa Bay in 2019, but it sounds like one of his fellow wideouts probably won’t be sticking around. Veteran receiver DeSean Jackson has expressed a preference to move on from the Buccaneers this offseason.

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2019 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

By | at January 6, 2019 5:00 pm

Several NFL teams are currently hunting for a new head coach, and amidst reports about interview requests and potential candidates, it’s easy to lose track of the latest updates in the shuffle. So we’ll use this space – which will be updated until every team has hired a new head coach – to keep track of the most recent news and rumors. It can be found on the right-hand sidebar under “PFR Features.”

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here’s the current breakdown:

[Updated: 2/5/19, 8:17am CT]

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

30 comments Arizona Cardinals Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Denver Broncos Green Bay Packers Miami Dolphins New York Jets PFR Originals Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers Notes: Bowles, Armstrong

By | at January 6, 2019 4:20 pm

Former Jets head coach Todd Bowles has already been drawing interest as a potential defensive coordinator, and — perhaps unsurprisingly — Bowles’ most likely destination could the Buccaneers, provided that Bruce Arians (currently viewed as the favorite) lands the head coaching job in Tampa Bay, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If Arians is hired by the Bucs, he’s expected to “get the band back together” by hiring a number of his ex-Cardinals assistants. Bowles served as Arians’ DC in Arizona from 2013-14, leading units which each ranked top-seven in defensive DVOA.

  • If Arians does end up with the Buccaneers, former Falcons special teams coach Keith Armstrong could take the same role in Tampa Bay, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Armstrong, who had been Atlanta’s ST coach since 2008, was fired last week as the Falcons cleared out each of their coordinator roles. Based purely on performance, Armstrong posted a strong effort in 2018, as Atlanta ranked 10th in special teams DVOA. The 55-year-old Armstrong took two interviews for the Cardinals’ head coaching job last season, and was one of two candidates Arians personally recommended as a successor (the other being incumbent DC James Bettcher).
  • Speaking of the Falcons, they have officially completed an interview with Darrell Bevell, whom they are considering for their offensive coordinator vacancy, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Bevell, who was out of the NFL in 2018 after being fired by the Seahawks, is one of three candidates known to have interviewed to replace Steve Sarkisian, joining former Titans head coach Mike Mularkey and former Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter. Ex-Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak was also on Atlanta’s list of candidates, but the Broncos reportedly denied permission for an interview.
2 comments Atlanta Falcons Carolina Panthers Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers Interested In John Harbaugh?

By | at January 6, 2019 1:36 pm

The Buccaneers are the second NFL team — along with the previously-reported Dolphins — which has mulled a trade for Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

Harbaugh, whose contract expires after the 2019 campaign, hasn’t conduced any substantive extension discussions with Baltimore, but reports have indicated he’s still likely to return as the Ravens’ coach next season. However, La Canfora reports many around the NFL feel clubs are “slow-playing” their head coaching searches with the hope that Harbaugh will somehow become available.

The Ravens also need to determine how their new front office and coaching hierarchy will be structured, per La Canfora. Harbaugh has long reported to general manager Ozzie Newsome, but it’s unclear if that setup will continue once new GM Eric DeCosta formally takes over. Therefore, other teams could potentially lure Harbaugh with the idea that he’d report directly to a franchise owner, rather than a personnel executive.

Tampa Bay, for its part, has thus far interviewed four coaches for its vacancy: former Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard, and Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards. Arians is currently viewed as the favorite for the position, but the potential availability of Harbaugh could shake up the Buccaneers’ search.

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Latest On Buccaneers’ Coaching Search

By | at January 6, 2019 9:00 am

The Buccaneers will interview Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard for their head coaching vacancy today, per Albert Breer of SI.com. We already heard that Richard would also be interviewing with the Dolphins and Jets today, so his Sunday will be pretty full.

But if Richard is going to land a head coaching gig in 2019, it does not appear that it will be with Tampa Bay. Just yesterday, the team interviewed former Colts and Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, and reports suggested that momentum was building towards a Arians-Bucs union.

Today, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link) reports that Arians’ summit with the Buccaneers went very well, and that the 66-year-old could be announced as the team’s next head coach within the next few days. Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times posits that no candidate for the Bucs’ job checks as many boxes as Arians, who has something of a reputation as a quarterback whisperer and who may be able to get the most out of Jameis Winston.

Arians stepped down from his Cardinals post after last season, having guided the club to two playoff berths and three 10-win campaigns. He spent the 2018 season working as a broadcaster with CBS.

If the Bucs do end up hiring Arians, they will not owe the Cardinals any compensation.

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Latest On Arians, Bucs

By | at January 5, 2019 6:54 pm

Ever since Bruce Arians stepped away from his job with the Cardinals, his name has been buzzed about as a potential head coaching candidate. He sat out the 2018 season while calling games for CBS, but appears set to return to the sidelines. He’s been publicly lobbying for the Browns’ job for a while now, but has seemingly now set his sights on the Buccaneers’ job. Because Arians retired with time still left on his contract with Arizona, the consensus was that whatever team would want to hire Arians would need to give some compensation to the Cardinals, but that’s apparently not the case, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

Florio notes in a tweet that the Cardinals would’ve needed to exercise their option on Arians in order to have a claim on him, which they didn’t do. As such, Florio writes in his article that the Buccaneers didn’t even bother to notify the Cardinals they were interviewing him. As of now, Arians seems like a strong favorite to be Jameis Winston‘s next coach.

6 comments Arizona Cardinals Cleveland Browns Denver Broncos Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Packers To Interview Todd Monken

By | at January 5, 2019 2:07 pm

The Packers’ search to find Mike McCarthy‘s replacement has become quite extensive. Another candidate is now in the mix.

Todd Monken will interview for the job on Saturday night, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This makes nine candidates (so far) on Green Bay’s interview list.

Recently the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator, Monken’s docket is filling up fast. He has two interviews scheduled for next week, with the Bengals on Monday and Jets on Tuesday, Fowler adds.

While the Bucs again disappointed, their offense could be counted on for production. Tampa Bay ranked third in total yardage (and 12th in points) this season. No team in the franchise’s 43-season history had previously finished in the top three offensively.

The 2018 season was a critical one for Monken, as he took over play-calling duties for most of the campaign. Dirk Koetter had called plays previously, and did so again briefly this season, but Monken put himself on the map with his work in 2018.

The 52-year-old coach has spent most of his tenure on college staffs but did coach the Jaguars’ wide receivers from 2007-10. After serving as Oklahoma State’s OC for the following two years and then Southern Miss’ head coach over the next three, Monken became the Bucs’ OC. Though, he still served as Tampa Bay’s wideouts coach from 2016-17. Koetter rearranged Monken’s responsibilities in the 2018 offseason, allowing him to focus solely on his OC duties.

1 comment Cincinnati Bengals Green Bay Packers New York Jets Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Buccaneers Interview Bruce Arians

By | at January 5, 2019 1:10 pm

Saturday is bringing some fast-moving Buccaneers-Bruce Arians developments. Shortly after being linked to the job, Arians interviewed for it, the Bucs announced.

There’s been a sense in the building Arians will end up landing this job. Arians began his campaign to return to the sidelines by saying the only job he would take was the Browns’ position, but the former Cardinals coach has obviously expanded his parameters. This is the only position for which he’s interviewed thus far.

Tampa Bay has already interviewed Kansas City OC Eric Bieniemy and Vikings DC George Edwards and wants to meet with Dallas secondary coach Kris Richard. Arians, though, has more experience and is the only candidate in this group with past HC work on his resume. On top of that, Arians is a two-time coach of the year.

The Bucs kept this quiet, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) this interview occurred Saturday morning, and have a rather significant requirement for their next head coach. The team will bring back Jameis Winston for 2019, despite his shaky on- and off-field track record since entering the league. But Arians has known Winston for years, per Schefter, and worked with Bucs GM Jason Licht when the latter was the Cardinals’ VP of player personnel in 2013. Licht was part of the group that ended up green-lighting Arians becoming the Arizona HC five years ago, per SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).

Arians, 66, stepped down from his Cardinals post after last season. He guided the them to two playoff berths and three 10-win seasons, peaking during Arizona’s 2015 run to the NFC championship game. The former HC and longtime OC spent this season working with CBS, but a return to the sidelines has gained steam. Judging by how fast this is moving, it’s quite possible the Bucs are sold Arians can end their 11-season playoff drought.

If the Bucs do end up making this move, they will be required to compensate the Cardinals in some fashion. Arians’ Arizona contract contained a team option for 2019, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter), and the NFL sent a seemingly Arians-centric memo to teams regarding this recently.

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Buccaneers Eyeing Bruce Arians For Head Coach

By | at January 5, 2019 12:03 pm

The Buccaneers seem to have an eye on one particular target for their head coaching vacancy. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), Tampa Bay has “real interest” in former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians. Rapoport notes that the interest is mutual, and the two sides could meet soon. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero echoes that sentiment, noting that there’s been “a sense in the building” that Arians would ultimately get the job.

After serving as the Cardinals head coach for five seasons, Arians retired from the job last offseason. The 66-year-old was relatively successful during his tenure in Arizona, leading the Cardinals to 49-30-1 record and a pair of playoff appearances (including an appearance in the 2015 NFC Championship Game).

Arians was hired as an analyst by CBS back in May, but there have been continued whispers that he could seek another NFL gig. The coach was reportedly pushing for the Browns head coaching job, but Arians said in December that he wasn’t expecting to land the position. The head coach also recently said that it’s probably a “99-to-1” chance that he’ll be back on the sidelines in 2019.

As our Head Coaching Tracker shows, the Buccaneers have interviewed or will interview three candidates: Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards, and Cowboys defensive backs coach Kris Richard.

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NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/3/19

By | at January 3, 2019 5:57 pm

Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2019 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:

Baltimore Ravens

Detroit Lions

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

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