Buccaneers Exercise 2018 Staff Options
- The Buccaneers have exercised their 2018 club options for each of their assistant coaches, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). That should come as no surprise, given that Tampa Bay made the relatively surprising decision to retain head coach Dirk Koetter. However, there could be several “tweaks” to the Buccaneers’ coaching staff, per Stroud, although it’s unclear what those changes might entail. Koetter is signed through the 2020 campaign, while general manager Jason Licht recently had his 2018 option picked up.
Buccaneers’ T.J. Ward Arrested
Buccaneers safety T.J. Ward was arrested on Wednesday on a misdemeanor court of possession of marijuana (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times). Ward is already out of jail on bond.
[RELATED: Bucs Sign Several Players To Futures Deals]
Ward’s agent, Josh Arnold has now released a statement, which conflicts with the original report regarding Ward’s arrest (via Albert Breer of Sports Illustarted on Twitter).
“Reports from various sources revolving around my client, T.J. Ward, and an incident nearly 3 months ago are inaccurate. We dispute the claims being reported and TJ adamantly denies these allegations. IT was our understanding that the matter had been resolved in October and my client was never arrested at that time. Nor was he even at the residence when the police allegedly located marijuana. TJ never received a notice to appear or any other otice of a court date regarding this matter in October or subsequently thereafter. TJ is uncertain as to why this coming up now given the fact it was revolved months ago, but nonetheless he looks forward to resolving the issue as expeditiously as possible.”
Given the conflicting reports, we’ll have to just wait and see how this situation will unfold.
Nonetheless, the news comes at a particularly bad time since Ward is scheduled for free agency in March. This isn’t a particularly serious charge, but GMs won’t be thrilled about this in light of his 2014 assault charge which was later dropped. At the time, it was alleged that Ward threw a glass mug at a strip club bartender after she told him outside drinks were not allowed. The NFL later suspended him for one game in 2015.
It should be noted that Ward was with the Broncos in early September. In Colorado, marijuana is legal for recreational purposes.
Ward’s on-field play will likely be a bigger issue as he looks for his next contract. In 12 games (five starts), Ward graded out as the No. 58 ranked safety in the NFL per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. That’s a big dropoff from where he was from 2013-2015 when he made three straight Pro Bowls.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/2/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Carlton Agudosi
- DT Peli Anau
- CB Jarell Carter
- OLB Vontarrius Dora
- CB Jonathan Moxey
- WR Rashad Ross
- DT Pasoni Tasini
- RB Darius Victor
- OL Josh Allen
- LS Drew Williams
Baltimore Ravens
Chicago Bears
- OL Travis Averill
- WR Demarcus Ayers
- DB Doran Grant
- WR Mekale McKay
- OL Will Pericak
- TE Colin Thompson
Cincinnati Bengals
Dallas Cowboys
- WR Brian Brown
- WR K.D. Cannon
- T Jarron James
- S Jameill Showers
- DT Joe Vellano
- CB Marquez White
- RB Trey Williams
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
- WR Jake Kumerow
- WR Colby Pearson
- TE Robert Tonyan
- LS Zach Triner
- WR DeAngelo Yancey
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/1/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Baltimore Ravens
- QB Josh Woodrum
- RB John Crockett
- FB Ricky Ortiz
- OT Steven Moore
Buffalo Bills
- WR Rod Streater
Chicago Bears
Cincinnati Bengals
- LB Carl Bradford
- K Jon Brown
- LB Connor Harris
- OT Javarius Leamon
- OG Oni Omoile
- TE Scott Orndoff
- CB Sojourn Shelton
- SS Robenson Therezie
- WR Kermit Whitfield
Cleveland Browns
- WR C.J. Board
- LB Austin Calitro
- DB Trevon Hartfield
- WR Bug Howard
- RB Josh Rounds
- OL Victor Salako
- DB B.W. Webb
- WR Kasen Williams
Denver Broncos
- DT Paul Boyette
- WR River Cracraft
- WR Jordan Leslie
- DE Stansly Maponga
- DB Jordan Moore
- TE Brian Parker
- WR Tim Patrick
- OT Jeremiah Poutasi
- LB Marcus Rush
- DE Jhaustin Thomas
Detroit Lions
- CB Adairius Barnes
- TE Brandon Barnes
- DE Alex Barrett
- WR Dontez Ford
- DT Toby Johnson
- C Leo Koloamatangi
- S Rolan Milligan
- T Dan Skipper
- QB Alek Torgersen
- DE Jeremiah Valoaga
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Mo Alie-Cox
- WR Dres Anderson
- DT Johnathan Calvin
- WR Kolby Listenbee
- LB Arthur Miley
- LB Josh Perry
- QB Phillip Walker
- G Isaiah Williams
New York Giants
- OL Ethan Cooper
- WR Amba Etta-Tawo
- K Marshall Koehn
- DB Jeremiah McKinnon
- P Austin Rehkow
- DB Tim Scott
- WR Canaan Severin
- DT Kristjan Sokoli
- DE Jordan Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- WR Jake Lampman
Washington Redskins
- OL Alex Balducci
- DL Tavaris Barnes
- TE Chris Bazile
- RB Kenny Hilliard
- OL Cameron Jefferson
- OL John Kling
- LB Alex McCalister
- LB Cassanova McKinzy
- DL Ondre Pipkins
- DB James Sample
- S Orion Stewart
Raiders To Pursue Jon Gruden
Now that the Buccaneers are expected to retain Dirk Koetter as their head coach in 2018 (though Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk thinks that Tampa Bay could easily reverse course in that regard), the Raiders are upping the ante in their pursuit of Jon Gruden. Gruden, of course, previously served as head coach of Tampa Bay and Oakland, though his name has been more heavily connected to the Buccaneers in recent weeks.
But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Raiders are preparing to pursue Gruden with an offer so strong that it could include an ownership stake in the team. Schefter adds that Gruden, currently an ESPN analyst, will be tempted to accept the offer, though he would prefer to wait until the regular season concludes and Oakland formally makes a decision on current head coach Jack Del Rio.
There are complications to a potential reunion. For instance, if Raiders owner Mark Davis does indeed offer Gruden an ownership stake, the contract would need to be approved by all 32 owners and the league finance committee, and such approval could be difficult to attain, as ownership would not want to set a precedent. Furthermore, Del Rio and Gruden are represented by the same agent, Bob LaMonte.
Nonetheless, one has to figure that if the Raiders want Gruden, and Gruden wants them, the two sides will find a way to make it happen. After all, Gruden never wanted to leave the Raiders to begin with, and though Oakland has struggled this season, there are a lot of factors that make its head coaching job an enviable one. Plus, although Gruden has been frequently discussed as a highly-coveted head coaching candidate in past years, this is the first year that he has made calls around the league in an effort to piece together a potential staff.
Interestingly, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) names current CBS analyst (and former Raiders QB) Rich Gannon as someone that Gruden has contacted as a potential quarterbacks coach.
Gruden declined to specifically comment on the Raiders’ position.
Jets Believed Bucs Could Be Interested In Todd Bowles
- The Jets‘ Todd Bowles extension talks may have begun as recently as late December, with Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reporting Jets CEO Christopher Johnson opting to be proactive instead of letting Bowles enter a walk year and opening the door to other teams’ overtures. Specifically, Cimini writes that speculation about a Bowles/Cardinals reunion swirled for months. Bruce Arians will make a decision about his future in the offseason, but Bowles excelled as Arizona’s DC before coming to New York. Cimini also notes the Buccaneers, who are keeping Dirk Koetter for 2018, were a team the Jets knew would’ve been interested.
Buccaneers To Retain Dirk Koetter For 2018
The Buccaneers’ 2017 underachievement will not cost Dirk Koetter his job. Ownership informed the second-year coach he will receive a third season, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport also reports Koetter will coach the Bucs next season (Twitter link). The Bucs are 4-11 and have endured multiple five-game losing streaks, putting Koetter on most estimated chopping blocks. But the team will stick with the coach it paired with Jameis Winston last year.
In agreeing to bring back Koetter for a third year, the Bucs are giving him a longer leash than they gave Greg Schiano or Lovie Smith. Both coached two seasons in Tampa before being shown the door, Smith in favor of Koetter, his then-OC. The most recent Bucs coach to receive a third season was Raheem Morris from 2009-11. Koetter is 13-18 thus far in his NFL head-coaching career, but his 9-7 record last season represented Tampa Bay’s first winning season since 2010.
Winston’s shoulder injury played into the Glazers’ decision to stick with Koetter, Stroud reports. Stroud notes Winston has played well since returning from his injury-induced rest, leading the NFL in passer rating (114.5) and yards per attempt (9.25) over the past four weeks.
This news comes during a trying season, one that featured a reported rift between Winston and Koetter. The third-year quarterback shot that down, however, and proceeded to improve in the final part of the season. Koetter also said the reports of his job status being up in the air affected him. He no longer has to worry about that. Both he and GM Jason Licht — whose 2018 option was picked up in the offseason — are coming back next year.
That said, Koetter, Licht and Winston are set for critical years in 2018. Each’s stock having plummeted as a result of this underwhelming season — one that began with many projecting a Bucs playoff cameo.
This also ends the Jon Gruden speculation, but with Gruden’s 2007 Bucs outfit being the franchise’s last postseason entrant, Koetter’s seat figures to be scorching in 2018.
Breer’s Latest: Black Monday Preview
With the final week of the NFL’s regular season approaching, that only means two things; 12 teams will soon be focusing on reaching the Super Bowl, while the rest will start to look ahead to next season. One major part of looking forward is addressing who on the coaching staff will be returning in 2018. Many of these coaching questions are answered on the day following Week’s 17 conclusion, conveniently called “Black Monday”.
Veteran reporter Albert of Breer of Sports Illustrated, gave a preview of the coaches he expects to stay and the ones that will likely be shown the door in his most recent column. Breer ranked the potential firings as “Likely/Done”, “We’ll See”, and “It’s Complicated”. In total, there were 15 head coaches mentioned who could see their situations change starting next week.
Here’s a quick look at Breer’s takes on some of the league’s hottest coaching questions:
- There were five head coaches included in the “likely/done” category including: Bears‘ John Fox, Bengals‘ Marvin Lewis, Lions‘ Jim Caldwell, Colts‘ Chuck Pagano and and the Giants‘ interim coach Steve Spagnuolo. The four full-time head coaches on this list have all had their fair share of success in the league. In fact, three of them led their current teams to multiple playoff appearances during their tenure. However, Caldwell and Lewis have been unable to win a postseason game with Pagano and Fox having failed at continuing the past success they have shown during their careers in football. Breer notes that while the “expectation is that Fox will be gone”, the decision on the fate of general manager Ryan Pace is true question facing the franchise this offseason. There’s been rapid speculation about Lewis, Caldwell and Pagano throughout the year, so their inclusion on this list is no surprise. Finally, the Giants are currently interviewing general manager candidates who will almost certainly be looking to lead their own head coaching search once hired.
- Breer puts six current head coaches in the ‘we’ll see” part of the list. This portion mentions the Cardinals‘ Bruce Arians, Broncos‘ Vance Joseph, Raiders‘ Jack Del Rio, Buccaneers‘ Dirk Koetter, Titans‘ Mike Mularkey and the Redskins‘ Jay Gruden. There’s a variety of situations going on here with Breer noting that Arizona could see Arians retire, which could lead them to other current NFL head coaches: Todd Bowles and Bill O’Brien. Del Rio and Gruden have had their fair share of success because of quality quarterback play, but both have managed to decrease confidence because of an inconsistent 2017 season. However, Breer points out that both are signed long-term so their owners would have to eat the remaining years of their current deals. Mularkey and Koetter were rewarded for the relationships they formed with their QB’s, but there’s been disappointment with how this season has unfolded for their teams. Breer notes that should Mularkey lose this Sunday, he could be on the chopping block come Monday morning with the team looking to hire an offensive-minded coach like Josh McDaniels. Finally, Joseph has forced himself to the hot seat even in his first year of coaching the Broncos, though Breer says himself that this situation is “unpredictable” given that team president John Elway is just “not pleased with how the season’s gone”.
- Browns head coach Hue Jackson, and the two previously mentioned O’Brien and Bowles of the Texans and Jets, find themselves on the “it’s complicated” section of Breer’s roundup largely because of just the many factors are at play in regards to their situations. Jackson got a vote of confidence from owner Jimmy Haslam himself, but new general manager John Dorsey could have his sights on implementing his own guy after a winless season. O’Brien has made the playoffs before, but has struggled committing to a QB even after the team selected Deshaun Watson in the first round. Bowles has done a lot with a little in New York this season, but ownership could go in a different direction with a new starting signal caller likely walking into the building next year. Also, there is the potential that all three coaches could move onto new head coaching gigs with the number of openings that could be available this offseason. The final and definitely most surprising inclusion on this list was Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll, who Breer mentions could retire at age 66 with a roster about to see major turnover in the next few years. Although, I would venture that nothing he’s said this season would indicate that being the case.
Accident Linked To DeSean Jackson
Tampa, Fla. police are investigating a crash on Christmas Eve that involved a vehicle registered to Buccaneers receiver DeSean Jackson, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports. 
The vehicle, a Chevy Silverado, was found unattended after it appeared to leave the road and struck a tree Sunday evening. Police discovered 6.3 grams of marijuana and also found two .38 caliber hollow-point bullets in the vehicle. In the state of Florida, the bullets are legal and any marijuana less than 20 grams is considered a misdemeanor offense. The police report indicated officers made contact with Jackson, who responded to the scene.
Per Garofolo’s source, “Jackson initially declined to cooperate, then gave officers the name of the alleged driver but declined to assist officers in getting the driver back to the scene.”
A representative of Jackson, Denise White, said “It was a friend of DeSean’s who borrowed his car while he was out of town. None of what was in the car was his obviously. He’s dealing with the person that was using it without his knowledge privately. The incident is being handled.”
Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht responded to the reports in a statement:
“We are aware of a one-car accident involving a vehicle registered to DeSean Jackson on the night of Dec. 24. Our understanding is that DeSean has been in contact with authorities and is cooperating with the investigation.”
Jackson, who was inactive and did not travel to the team’s Week 16 matchup with Carolina, has tallied 50 receptions for 668 yards in his first season with the team. No arrests have been made and the case remains open.
Job Security A Distraction For Bucs’ Koetter
After leading Tampa Bay to a 9-7 record in his first season as head coach, Dirk Koetter and the Buccaneers entered the 2017 season as breakout favorites in the NFC. Things have not gone according to plan, however, with the Buccaneers sitting at 4-11 entering the final week of the season. The dismal display has prompted talks about the coach’s future with the team, which have been a distraction in recent weeks, Koetter admitted to reporters including ESPN’s Jenna Laine on Tuesday.
“It’s your life, it’s your life. It’s what you do. So just flip it around. Of course it is,” Koetter said. “But we all as players and coaches, we’re paid to do a job, and you try to do it to the best of our ability. That’s all you can do.”
His job security is not the only thing serving as a distraction in Tampa Bay at the moment. Koetter acknowledged that a screaming fit happened during the team’s Week 16 loss vs. the Panthers, with quarterback Jameis Winston and linebacker Kwon Alexander confronting defensive lineman Chris Baker about his late penalty that set up Carolina for the game-winning score and his lack of remorse for committing the infraction.
Koetter played off the incident by saying, “Emotions [were] running, and that game — we had a lot of nice opportunities to win, [but] we didn’t do it. No one’s happy about that. A shouting match … I don’t think that would be the first or last time that’s ever happened.”
Though his influence in the locker room appears to be dissipating, Koetter said he has no fears of having lost the team. With the disappointing season almost in the books, the Buccaneers appear like they could be looking for a new coach in the near future.