South Rumors: Foster, Falcons, Martin, Jags
Texans running back Arian Foster, entering the final year of his contract, is set to make a $6.5MM base salary, with an overall cap hit of nearly $9MM. Those figures make him a potential release candidate, but if general manager Rick Smith says Houston won’t cut the veteran back because of his salary.
“As it relates to all the free agent conversations, I’m never really going to tell you one way or the other what we are doing, but I will tell you this: his salary is not a reason why we would cut Arian,” Smith said.
That doesn’t necessarily close the door on the Texans releasing Foster, since the team could have concerns about his health or his production. But if they’re comfortable paying a healthy Foster $6.5MM, it increases the odds that he’ll be back in Houston for the 2016 season.
Let’s check in on a few other items from around the NFL’s South divisions….
- Head coach Dan Quinn and the Falcons will be monitoring wide receivers closely in both free agency and the draft, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. According to McClure, the Falcons have “done their homework” on this year’s pending free agent wideouts, including Travis Benjamin, Mohamed Sanu, Jermaine Kearse, and Nate Washington.
- Buccaneers GM Jason Licht confirmed that he met with Brian Murphy, the agent for Doug Martin, on Wednesday at the scouting combine. However, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets, no agreement between the two sides will be reached in Indianapolis.
- The Jaguars will head into the free agent period armed with a ton of cap space, according to GM David Caldwell, who suggests that estimates of $75MM “might be a little low,” per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. In a separate piece, O’Halloran also passed along a few notable comments made by Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley during his media availability.
- Craig Stevens‘ new one-year contract with the Titans features a $1.15MM base salary, a $250K workout bonus, and per-game roster bonuses worth up to $500K, says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. A report last week indicated that the tight end’s deal could be worth up to $2.6MM via incentives.
NFLPA Announces Cap Carryover Amounts
The NFL Players Association issued a press release today announcing the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2016 season. The official salary cap amount for 2016 has yet to be announced by the league, but it’s expected to be in the neighborhood of $155MM+. When that figures becomes official, it can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that club’s official cap for 2016.
According to the press release, the Broncos, Rams, and the Saints are the only teams that opted not to carry over the full amount available to them, though none of those clubs are believed to have left significant amounts on the table.
Here are the salary cap carryover amounts for 2016, per the NFLPA, from highest to lowest:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $32,774,928
- Tennessee Titans: $20,783,801
- Cleveland Browns: $20,734,144
- Oakland Raiders: $13,373,617
- San Francisco 49ers: $12,206,686
- New York Giants: $11,193,231
- Miami Dolphins: $9,137,544
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $7,987,748
- Cincinnati Bengals: $7,587,902
- Philadelphia Eagles: $7,255,362
- Green Bay Packers: $6,953,847
- Washington: $5,837,734
- Indianapolis Colts: $4,950,629
- Buffalo Bills: $4,467,331
- Atlanta Falcons: $3,905,771
- Carolina Panthers: $3,731,200
- Dallas Cowboys: $3,571,239
- Denver Broncos: $3,300,000
- Arizona Cardinals: $3,031,663
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $3,000,327
- Kansas City Chiefs: $2,622,838
- New York Jets: $2,484,216
- San Diego Chargers: $2,287,176
- Minnesota Vikings: $2,090,409
- Houston Texans: $1,637,055
- Baltimore Ravens: $1,633,944
- New Orleans Saints: $1,400,000
- New England Patriots: $1,347,882
- Los Angeles Rams: $933,521
- Chicago Bears: $867,589
- Detroit Lions: $862,191
- Seattle Seahawks: $11,587
Combine Updates: Browns, Buccaneers, Titans
General managers and head coaches around the league are speaking to the media on Wednesday and Thursday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, and while most of them will only generally address their pending free agents or other noteworthy contract situations, a handful have revealed some interesting tidbits.
Here are a few updates from the sessions so far:
Cleveland Browns:
- Browns head coach Hue Jackson, who said the team will take a hard-line stance when it comes to not tolerating off-field behavior like Johnny Manziel‘s, was also asked about players like Josh Gordon (suspended) and Armonty Bryant (arrested). Jackson said he has spoken to Bryant, and will meet with Gordon if and when he’s reinstated, stressing that he wants high-character players and will evaluate each situation on a case-by-case basis (Twitter links via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com and Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal).
- Jackson guaranteed that the Browns will come out of this year’s draft having picked a quarterback. However, he cautioned that the team might not use the No. 2 overall pick to select a signal-caller (Twitter link via Cabot).
- Jackson conceded that if the fit is right, he would value potential free agents who had previous experience in his system (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich). Bengals wideouts Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu might fit that bill.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
- Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht said today that the team doesn’t have any indication of whether veteran guard Logan Mankins is leaning toward retiring or playing in 2016. That decision won’t affect the Bucs either way though, according to Licht, who says the team expects to hear from Mankins within the next few weeks (Twitter links via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times).
- Licht will meet with Doug Martin‘s agent this week, and said he’s optimistic about the possibility of working out a new deal for the running back (Twitter link via Stroud).
- If the Bucs don’t re-sign Martin, they’ll be prepared to address the position either in free agency or the draft, says Licht (Twitter link via Stroud).
- Licht expects to concentrate primarily on defensive players in the draft, but that won’t stop the Bucs from grabbing an offensive player if he’s the top player on their board (Twitter link via Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune).
Tennessee Titans:
- Titans head coach Mike Mularkey views Brian Schwenke‘s injuries as a potential cause for concern, and said the team won’t rule out the pursuit of a veteran center (Twitter link via Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com).
- Defensive tackle Al Woods is one of the Titans pending free agents that the team is talking to and wants to keep, according to Mularkey (Twitter link via McCormick).
- Mularkey doesn’t believe the Titans’ moves in free agency will tip off what the team plans to do with the No. 1 pick in the draft, per Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. “I don’t know that it’s a telltale sign — if we do this, we won’t do that,” Mularkey said.
- The Titans don’t currently plan on making any more roster cuts prior to the start of free agency, Mularkey said (Twitter link via McCormick).
- If the Titans ultimately decide to trade the first overall pick in the draft, they’ll be looking for a “fair deal,” not necessarily one that lines up with the old draft-pick value chart, per GM Jon Robinson (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com).
NFC Notes: Romo, Lawrence, Bucs, Lions
Let’s take a look at some of the latest news coming out of NFC cities, starting with Tony Romo‘s immediate future.
- Romo has yet to make a final decision on what type of surgery he’ll undergo in March, but the 14th-year Cowboys quarterback leaning toward a Mumford procedure, a source tells Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. The Mumford procedure involves shaving off or removing a portion of the distal clavicle.
- Demarcus Lawrence probably won’t be 100% until at least training camp after he underwent January back surgery to repair an injury that Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said was “a little more serious” than anticipated, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Lawrence played in all 16 games last season and led Dallas with eight sacks, but Jones conceded the third-year defensive end may miss time this summer due to the procedure.
- The Buccaneers are leaning toward assigning RFA tenders to wide receiver Russell Shepard and safety Bradley McDougald, but have yet to make a decision on linebacker Danny Lansanah, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times and Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter links). Shepard and McDougald figure to be in line for low-end tenders, while Lansanah would become an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t get an offer from the Bucs by March 9.
- Tampa Bay wants Sterling Moore to return, per Cummings (on Twitter), but will allow him to test free agency. Moore experienced a down year after Pro Football Focus ranked the journeyman corner as a top-25 player at his position in 2014. The site ranked him 64th among cornerbacks last season. He started nine games for the Bucs after being nontendered by the Cowboys last March.
- Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com has a few suggestions for Bob Quinn as the Lions general manager prepares for his first NFL combine as a GM. Calvin Johnson and Darius Slay are among the players on Quinn’s list of issues to address.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report
Bucs Interested In Re-Signing Chris Conte
The Buccaneers will meet with the agent for upcoming free agent safety Chris Conte at the scouting combine this week, according to Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report. Conte will hit free agency on March 9 if no deal is reached.
[RELATED: PFR previews the 2016 Tampa Bay Buccaneers offseason]
Conte, who turns 27 years old on Tuesday, joined Tampa Bay last offseason, agreeing to a one-year deal worth $1.5MM that reunited him with former Bears head coach Lovie Smith. Smith, of course, was fired earlier this year and replaced by offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, but as Reynolds notes, Conte still has ties with the Buccaneers staff, as new Tampa secondary coach Jim Hoke coached Conte in Chicago.
In his first season with the Bucs, Conte started 13 games, and played the second-most snaps of any Tampa defensive back. He posted 59 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles, and graded as the No. 32 safety per Pro Football Focus before suffering a knee injury in Week 15 that ultimately landed him on injured reserve.
Like Conte, many of Tampa Bay’s free agents play on the defensive side of the ball, as corner Sterling Moore, as well as defensive tackles Henry Melton and Tony McDaniel, are also projected to reach free agency. The club’s most high-profile free agent-to-be, however, is running back Doug Martin, who is said to be discussing a new deal with the Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay general manager Jason Licht said earlier this month that his team was wary of spending big in free agency. So perhaps re-signing a competent player like Conte — who is unlikely to cost all that much — would be one way for the Buccaneers to reduce their need to enter the free agent market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Brice McCain To Visit Buccaneers
Free agent cornerback Brice McCain is scheduled to a pay a visit to the Buccaneers today, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Because McCain was cut last week by the Dolphins, he’s eligible to sign with another team right away, rather than having to wait for the 2016 league year to begin.
[RELATED: Buccaneers wary of spending big in free agency]
Although it appears the Buccaneers will get the first look at McCain, Tampa Bay isn’t the only team with interest in the veteran corner. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the Steelers also want to bring in McCain for a visit, though it may not happen until March. Rand Getlin of the NFL Network adds (via Twitter) that the Titans would also like to host McCain sometime after next week’s draft combine.
McCain, 29, signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. However, he lasted just one season with the team, as Miami opted to part ways with him last week in order to create $2.5MM in cap savings. McCain started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles.
Since the Steelers previously employed McCain, their interest makes some sense, as does the Titans’ interest, since former Steelers DC Dick LeBeau is currently running Tennessee’s defense. There’s no obvious coaching connection for the veteran cornerback in Tampa Bay – though new linebackers coach Mark Duffner was on the Dolphins’ staff last year – but the club could use some help in the secondary, as we detailed in our Bucs offseason preview earlier this week.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Offseason Outlook: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pending free agents:
- Da’Quan Bowers, DT
- Kaelin Clay, WR (ERFA)
- Chris Conte, S
- Andrew DePaola, LS (ERFA)
- Larry English, DE
- T.J. Fatinikun, DE (ERFA)
- Jeremiah George, ILB (ERFA)
- Mike Jenkins, CB
- Jorvorskie Lane, FB (RFA)
- Danny Lansanah, OLB (RFA)
- Doug Martin, RB
- Tony McDaniel, DT
- Bradley McDougald, S (RFA)
- Henry Melton, DT
- Sterling Moore, CB
- Bobby Rainey, RB
- Russell Shepard, WR (RFA)
- Jacquies Smith, DE (ERFA)
- Keith Tandy, S
Top 15 cap hits for 2016:
- Gerald McCoy, DT: $13,000,000
- Vincent Jackson, WR: $12,209,778
- Lavonte David, OLB: $10,000,000
- Logan Mankins, G: $7,000,000
- Alterraun Verner, CB: $6,750,000
- Jameis Winston, QB: $5,761,654
- Gosder Cherilus, T: $4,500,000
- Bruce Carter, OLB: $4,250,000
- Mike Evans, WR: $3,990,410
- Joe Hawley, C: $3,500,000
- Clinton McDonald, DT: $3,250,000
- Evan Smith, C: $2,500,000
- George Johnson, DE: $2,000,000
- Brandon Myers, TE: $1,916,668
- Demar Dotson, T: $1,750,000
Notable coaching/front office changes:
- Head coach: Promoted OC Dirk Koetter to replace Lovie Smith.
- Offensive coordinator: Hired Southern Mississippi HC Todd Monken to replace Dirk Koetter, though Koetter will continue to call offensive plays.
- Defensive coordinator: Hired former Falcons HC Mike Smith to replace Leslie Frazier.
- Special teams coordinator: Hired Titans ST coordinator Nate Kaczor to replace Kevin O’Dea.
- Director of player personnel: Hired Broncos national scout John Spytek to replace Jon Robinson, who left to become Titans’ GM.
Draft:
- No. 9 overall pick
- Acquired sixth-round pick from Washington in deal for S Dashon Goldson.
- Owe seventh-round pick to Washington in deal for S Dashon Goldson.
Other:
- Current projected cap room (via Over the Cap): $49.85MM
Overview:
Any season that ends with a team firing its head coach is usually regarded as a failure for that club, but the Buccaneers took steps toward relevance during the 2015 campaign. The Bucs improved from 2-14 to 6-10, bettered their point differential by 58, and may have found a legitimate franchise quarterback for the first time in their history.
Tampa’s progress wasn’t enough to save head coach Lovie Smith, whom general manager Jason Licht sent packing after the team closed the season with three straight losses. Even though Smith went an ugly 8-24 in his two seasons at the helm, his firing came as somewhat of a surprise. Conversely, the Bucs didn’t shock anyone by choosing Smith’s offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter, to take over his ex-boss’ job.
The 57-year-old Koetter worked as the Buccaneers’ OC for just one season, but the unit made clear strides on his 
watch. After finishing 29th, 30th and 32nd in points, yardage and DVOA in 2014, the Bucs rose to 20th, fifth and 18th in those three categories last season.
Koetter, whose only previous head coaching experience came in the college ranks (he went a combined 66-44 at Boise State and Arizona State from 1998-2008), also helped guide rookie quarterback Jameis Winston to a terrific showing. Last year’s first overall pick started all 16 of the Bucs’ games, tossed 22 touchdowns against 15 interceptions, and became the youngest QB in NFL history (21) to eclipse the 4,000-yard mark.
Koetter will continue to call the offensive plays in Tampa, but he’ll have assistance on that side of the ball from new coordinator Todd Monken. Like Koetter, Monken has experience as a college head coach, having spent the last three seasons in that role with Southern Mississippi. Monken’s familiarity with Koetter undoubtedly helped lead to his hiring — the two were on the Jaguars’ staff from 2007-10 (Koetter was the offensive coordinator, Monken the receivers coach).
Koetter also has prior ties to newly hired defensive coordinator Mike Smith, who was the Falcons’ head coach from 2008-14. Koetter ran the Atlanta offense during the final three years of Smith’s tenure, and the two were also on Jacksonville’s staff together in 2007. Smith will take over a Bucs defense that finished last season under his predecessor Leslie Frazier as a top-10 unit in terms of yardage allowed, but just 18th in DVOA and 26th in points.
While Licht and the Koetter-led coaching staff obviously hope to break the Buccaneers’ eight-year playoff drought next season, the organization won’t do anything rash in an effort to better its chances. Licht said last week that the Bucs will be “selective and strategic” in free agency, adding that “the best way for us to go is to draft and develop players.”
If Licht is to be believed, that means the Bucs won’t splurge this offseason with the nearly $50MM they currently have in cap space. However, they should still be able to add some useful veterans and further bolster their roster through the draft, in which they have the ninth overall selection and two more picks in the top 75.
Key Free Agents:
Running back Doug Martin is far and away the most significant pending free agent Tampa has. In theory, the Bucs could’ve avoided this predicament by picking up Martin’s fifth-year option for 2016 last offseason, but it appeared at the time they did the right thing in declining it. The franchise made its decision when Martin was coming off back-to-back subpar seasons, so it looked as if his explosive rookie year (1,900-plus total yards, 12 touchdowns) was a fluke.
To virtually everyone’s surprise, Martin returned to his first-year form last season, eclipsing the 1,400-yard rushing mark for the second time while establishing a new yards-per-carry high (4.9) and adding seven TDs. Martin also made his second Pro Bowl and earned first-team All-Pro honors, and he’ll now look to cash in as a 27-year-old. If Martin has it his way, his next deal will come from the Bucs.
“I love Tampa and Tampa loves me,” he told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “I’ve got a house out there so I do wish I’ll go back to Tampa.”
The club has had “great discussions” with Martin’s camp, Licht told the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, who reports that the league’s reigning second-leading rusher is “hoping to hit the jackpot.” Martin could indeed hit the jackpot, as Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune wrote in January that his bounce-back effort might lead to a contract similar to the five-year, $42MM deal Philadelphia signed DeMarco Murray to last offseason.
With the franchise tag price of just under $12MM perhaps too steep a total, it’s fair to say the Bucs’ best chance to keep Martin from exploring the free agent market on March 9 is by way of a long-term accord. The question is: Are they confident enough to give that kind of a contract to a player who has had such a a boom-or-bust career? If anyone can afford to take a gamble of that caliber, it’s a cap space-rich team like the Bucs.
Aside from Martin, Tampa isn’t exactly overflowing with notable free agents-to-be. The best of the rest are on defense, where cornerback Sterling Moore leads an unspectacular unrestricted class that also features tackle Henry Melton and safety Chris Conte. All three signed one-year deals to join the Buccaneers last winter.
Moore started in nine of 16 appearances and led Bucs corners in defensive snap percentage (64.9) and pass breakups (six), and added three forced fumbles and a pick. Whether the 26-year-old will stay in Tampa could depend on how he feels about the new coaching staff.
“I came here because I felt comfortable in the system, so that’s obviously something that goes into things, but it’s all about the coaching staff and where I feel comfortable,” he told Rick Brown of ESPN.com before the team fired Lovie Smith.
Melton played under Smith in Chicago from 2009-12 and made the Pro Bowl in their last season together with the Bears, but he hasn’t been the same player since. As a reserve lineman last season, the 29-year-old finished as Pro Football Focus’ 101st-ranked interior defender (123 qualifiers). The site (subscription required) graded him below average among interior pass rushers and toward the bottom as a run defender. If the Bucs let him go, he shouldn’t be hard to replace. Should they keep him, look for another one-year pact, but a lower cap hit than last season’s $3.75MM would be expected.
Like Melton, Conte was an ex-Bear who reunited with Smith last season. Unlike Melton, Conte fared well for the Bucs, starting 13 of 14 appearances and totaling 79 tackles, three interceptions and two forced fumbles. Although Conte’s output netted him a solid 32nd-place ranking out of 88 qualifying safeties at PFF, Licht doesn’t sound fully committed to re-signing him as he goes into his age-27 season.
“Chris Conte did some good things for us and he has a familiarity with (fellow secondary coach) Jon Hoke, who was his coach in Chicago,’’ Licht said, according to Stroud. “We will be discussing the possibility of bringing him back, but we still like Bradley McDougald, who we think has upside and we still have Major Wright under contract and we liked what Keith Tandy did in his role for us last year. But it can’t hurt to bring in competition.’’
Possible Cap Casualties:
Positions Of Need:
Defensively, Tampa could look to augment both its pass rush and secondary. The Bucs were middle of the pack in sacks last season with 38, but none of their edge rushers had more than seven.
If the team addresses the area through free agency, one name that comes to mind is a controversial one: Greg Hardy. While the soon-to-be 28-year-old’s off-field behavior has been abhorrent, the fact is that he’s a quality pass rusher many teams would covet if not for his character issues.
As a Cowboy, Hardy recorded a decent six sacks in 12 games last season – which wasn’t as prolific as his 11- and 15-sack totals with Carolina in 2012 and ’13 – and ranked No. 28 among 110 edge defenders at PFF.
Considering the baggage that come with Hardy, he shouldn’t get either a long-term deal or an overly expensive one, which would work in the Buccaneers’ favor if they were to pursue him. The Bucs were in the Hardy sweepstakes a year ago, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting that they went so far as to draw up a contract structure for him (Twitter link via Stroud), so there’s already a built-in connection between the two sides. Granted, Hardy went on to become a headache for a Cowboys team that won’t re-sign him, meaning there’s no guarantee Licht will have interest in him this time around.
Licht could, however, have interest in Mario Williams, who will be on the market soon if the Bills release him. That’s expected to happen, as the 31-year-old didn’t fit into Rex Ryan‘s defense last season and is set to count an exorbitant amount against the Bills’ cap in 2016 if they don’t cut ties. Williams, who is one season removed from a career-best 14.5-sack performance, is a good bet to land with a team that uses a 4-3 scheme. If he comes at a reasonable rate, it’s conceivable that team could be the Buccaneers.
If the free agent pass-rushing market doesn’t intrigue Licht, he’ll turn to the draft for help. In his latest mock draft, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report has the Bucs taking Eastern Kentucky’s Noah Spence in the first round. Spence comes with off-the-field red flags, but Miller calls him “the most talented edge rusher in this year’s class.”
The Bucs allowed the fourth-most TD passes (31) and the second-highest passer rating (101.2) in the league last season, which points to weaknesses in their defensive backfield. With the possibility of losing Moore, Conte, Tandy and fellow UFA Mike Jenkins, the need for the team to strengthen its secondary is further magnified. The door hasn’t closed on a Conte comeback, and Licht is a fan of McDougald, Wright and Tandy, so it’s not a sure thing that he’ll bring in outside safety help. Corner should be a different story, however, regardless of whether the team re-signs Moore, Jenkins or both.
In the event the Bucs are willing to open their wallets for the short term, the likes of Adam Jones (Bengals), Leon Hall (Bengals) and William Gay (Steelers) could be names to watch. Unlike those three 30-somethings, Prince Amukamara (Giants) and Patrick Robinson are still in their 20s, and either would improve the Bucs’ secondary without the club having to fork over huge money.
As far as the draft goes, if Licht is open to grabbing a corner at No. 9, Clemson’s Mackensie Alexander and Florida’s Vernon Hargreaves III are surely on his radar. Miller currently projects the two to go eighth and 12th, respectively, right in the vicinity of Tampa’s selection.
On the offensive side, the Bucs should find themselves in the market for running back help if Martin departs. They do have Charles Sims waiting in the wings, though. Sims, who will turn 26 in September, averaged 4.9 yards per carry on 107 attempts and put up impressive receiving numbers (51 catches, 11.0 yards per reception, four touchdowns) last season.
It’s possible the Bucs are more comfortable with Sims as a third-down specialist than as a workhorse. If so, a pending free agent he might serve as a good complement to is the Jets’ Chris Ivory, a bruiser with a career 4.6 YPC. Ivory is coming off his first thousand-yard season, one in which multi-threat Bilal Powell spelled him on third downs (as Sims would do in Tampa), and is expected to carry a much lower price tag than Martin.
Elsewhere, nothing really stands out as a gaping short-term hole in the Bucs’ offense. The line allowed the fourth-fewest sacks in the league last season (27) and helped lead Martin, Sims and the rest of the team’s runners to a league-best 4.8 per-rush average.
The unit has two over-30 tackles in Cherilus and Demar Dotson, but it also has a 22-year-old, Donovan Smith, who was a second-rounder in 2015 and started all 16 games as a rookie. Guard Ali Marpet was also a second-rounder last year, and he started in each of his 13 appearances. Marpet is entrenched as a starter going forward, but the other guard spot could become an issue if the highly effective Logan Mankins retires, which he’s considering. However, there won’t be any shortage of above-average stopgaps available in free agency if Mankins does walk away. Richie Incognito (Bills), Evan Mathis (Broncos) and Chris Chester (Falcons) are among the possibilities.
The Bucs like their receiving corps, according to Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report, but will add at least one more for depth purposes. That suggests they’ll look for a low-cost wideout in free agency or use a mid-round pick on one.
As mentioned earlier, the Bucs don’t seem content with their kicking situation. The market is unlikely to offer many definite upgrades over Barth, however. Josh Brown (Giants), Mason Crosby (Packers), Justin Tucker (Ravens) and Adam Vinatieri (Colts) are the best of the pending free agent lot. While all are superior to Barth, none are great bets to become free agents. Tucker, for one, won’t hit the market, with the Ravens planning to either sign him or tag him (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun). The Colts, meanwhile, intend to keep Vinatieri.
Extension Candidates/Contract Issues:
The Buccaneers could make adjustments to the contracts of Vincent Jackson and Logan Mankins, if he doesn’t retire, per Stroud. Jackson will count ~$12.21MM against the club’s cap next season, while Mankins will bring a $7MM hit.
Although he missed six games last season and only caught 33 passes and three TDs, Jackson still averaged 16.5 yards per reception – his highest mark since 2012 – and might merit a short-term extension.
A comparable the Bucs could look to if they do try to get something done with Jackson is Andre Johnson, who signed a three-year, $21MM contract with the Colts last offseason. Johnson’s contract includes $10MM in guarantees and cap hits of $7.5MM last season and next season and $6MM in the final year. Johnson, then entering his age-34 season (Jackson is 33), experienced a decline in production before inking the deal as a free agent – he averaged 11.0 yards per catch, his second-worst career total, and pulled in 85 catches (24 fewer than the prior season).
Jackson, while still a big-play threat, was on a 53-catch pace pre-injury last season. That would’ve been his lowest full-season total since 2011. He amassed at least 70 receptions in each season from 2012-14.
Even though he’s a backup quarterback, Mike Glennon is an extension candidate for Tampa as he goes into the last year of his deal.
“Mike Glennon is just so valuable to us right now while we have him, while he’s under contract, I feel like we have two starting quarterbacks with him and Jameis,” Licht told Reynolds.
To extend Glennon could cost the Bucs upward of $7MM in guaranteed money, according to Stroud. The 26-year-old was a third-rounder in 2013 and has since made 19 appearances (18 starts), completing ~59 percent of passes for 4,000-plus yards, 29 TDs and 15 INTs.
Overall Outlook:
With the conference champion Panthers occupying a place in the NFC South, the Buccaneers probably aren’t going to threaten for a division title next season. However, if they’re able to make some meaningful defensive improvements this offseason and Winston takes another step forward in 2016, the franchise’s first .500-plus campaign since 2010 wouldn’t be an unreasonable expectation.
Information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post. Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC South Notes: Falcons, Irvin, Bucs
Could Buccaneers running back Doug Martin be donning a different uniform in 2016? On PFR’s Instagram, we gave fans a sneak peek and what he might look like in a Titans jersey. Martin is expected to be high on the Titans’ wish list, though there is strong mutual interest between the running back and the Bucs in a reunion. Click here to follow us on Instagram and weigh in with your thoughts.
Here’s tonight’s look at the NFC South:
- The Falcons‘ release of Justin Durant clears a path for a Dan Quinn–Bruce Irvin reunion, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. In terms of the Falcons’ other needs, Ledbetter expects the team to sign a veteran interior offensive lineman in free agency and avoid pinning its hopes on a high draft pick developing quickly.
- The Buccaneers have promoted Brian McLaughlin from team operations assistant to scouting assistant, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter). That marks the second front office move made by the Bucs on Monday after they plucked former Broncos national scout John Spytek as their new director of player personnel. On Monday night, PFR’s Connor Byrne previewed the Buccaneers’ offseason.
- Veteran guard Andy Levitre still has three years left on his contract with the Falcons, but the team might be better off cutting ties with him this offseason, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Atlanta would only create $1.25MM in cap savings by releasing Levitre, but designating him a post-June 1 cut would increase that number to $4MM.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Bucs To Hire Broncos Exec John Spytek
The Bucs will hire former Broncos national scout John Spytek as their new director of player personnel, according to Rick Stroud of WDAE (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: PFR’s Offseason Outlook For The Tampa Bay Buccaneers]
Spytek has ten-plus years of experience in the NFL, including the last two years with Denver. Spytek was in charge of scouting the Southwest region for the Broncos in 2013 and was promoted to national scout in 2014. Prior to his time with the Broncos, Spytek spent three seasons as the Browns’ director of college scouting. In his time with Cleveland, the Browns produced PFW/PFWA All-Rookie Team selections and drafted four players who went on to make the Pro Bowl in 2013.
In other Buccaneers news, GM Jason Licht recently said that the team will be wary of spending big in free agency this spring. For his part, Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander wants to see his team add some tough defensive ends, but it remains to be seen how that will be prioritized given the team’s budget.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
2016 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates
On Tuesday, February 16th, NFL teams will be able to place franchise and transition tags on potential free agents for the first time. While the window for franchise tags opens at that point, most clubs won’t actually tag any players right away.
As our list of important dates for the 2016 offseason shows, the deadline for teams to assign those franchise and transition tags comes two weeks later, on Tuesday, March 1st. Generally when it comes to NFL contract discussions, deadlines spur action, so teams will likely wait until closer to that March deadline to officially use franchise tags, once it becomes clear that they won’t be able to strike a longer-term deal yet with their respective free-agents-to-be.
Even though the action might not heat up for a couple more weeks, it’s worth taking a closer look at what to expect during 2016’s franchise tag period. We don’t know yet what the exact salary amounts for franchise tags will be, since the NFL has yet to announce the salary cap figure for the coming year. But back in November, former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com projected the 2016 franchise tag salaries, based on a presumed cap of $154MM. Here are the non-exclusive franchise tag amounts projected by Corry:
- Quarterback: $19.748MM
- Running back: $11.871MM
- Wide receiver: $14.527MM
- Tight end: $9.053MM
- Offensive line: $13.678MM
- Defensive end: $15.494MM
- Defensive tackle: $13.368MM
- Linebacker: $14.131MM
- Cornerback: $13.838MM
- Safety: $10.717MM
- Punter/kicker: $4.534MM
Those numbers are unlikely to be 100% accurate, but the actual figures won’t be drastically different, so we can use them as points of reference when considering which players are candidates to be franchised in 2016.
For a refresher on the characteristics of the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags, as well as the transition tag, be sure to check out PFR’s glossary entry on the subject. Once you’re up to speed, let’s dive in and take a look at the most likely candidates to be tagged, along with several more outside possibilities….
Virtual locks:
Broncos pass rusher Von Miller was viewed as the top player in this year’s group of potential free agents even before he terrorized Cam Newton in Santa Clara and earned Super Bowl MVP honors. Now, there’s no doubt that Denver will do all it can to retain the former second overall pick. The only questions for Miller are whether he’ll reach a long-term deal with the Broncos before the club needs to franchise him, and whether he’d get the exclusive or non-exclusive tag.
Panthers cornerback Josh Norman didn’t make the same impact in Super Bowl 50 that Miller did, but Carolina still seems likely to franchise him to avoid letting him hit the open market. The franchise tag for cornerbacks is projected to be worth nearly $14MM, but the Panthers are in better cap shape than they have been in recent years, and can afford to take the hit.
Meanwhile, it has been a few years since a quarterback was franchised, but Washington signal-caller Kirk Cousins is a strong candidate. Reports have indicated the team won’t let him get away, but the two sides apparently aren’t close to a multiyear agreement, which makes the franchise tag the most logical option at this point.
Strong candidates:
A year or two ago, Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery would have been a no-brainer candidate for the franchise tag. However, 2015 was an up-and-down season for Jeffery, who only played in nine games due to injury issues. When he did play, Jeffery was excellent, averaging a career-high 89.7 yards per game, and few teams have more projected cap room this offseason than Chicago, so it seems unlikely that the team would let the wideout get away — especially given how weak the market for receivers is this year, outside of Jeffery.
The Jets are facing an interesting predicament on their defensive line with Damon Harrison and Muhammad Wilkerson eligible for free agency this winter. Harrison isn’t a franchise tag candidate, and the Jets could conceivably re-sign him at a reasonable price, then move forward with a defensive line of Harrison, Sheldon Richardson, and Leonard Williams. However, letting an asset like Wilkerson get away for nothing isn’t great business, which is why he has been viewed as an intriguing tag-and-trade candidate for New York.
Elsewhere in the AFC East, the Bills and Dolphins don’t have a ton of cap flexibility, which could affect their decisions on offensive tackle Cordy Glenn and defensive end Olivier Vernon, respectively. There are ways for Buffalo and Miami to create the space necessary to tag their free-agents-to-be, but 
both teams already have plenty of highly-paid veterans on their books, so the decisions aren’t no-brainers. I think Glenn, at least, is slightly more likely than not to be tagged, but both players could conceivably reach the open market.
Safety Eric Berry had a tremendous comeback season in 2015, and it would put something of a damper on that story for the Chiefs to allow him to sign elsewhere next month. A $10MM+ price tag for a safety isn’t cheap, but it’s a more affordable tag than most positions, so I think Kansas City will have to strongly consider using it if the team can’t agree on a longer-term contract with Berry. As last year’s negotiations with Justin Houston showed, the Chiefs aren’t afraid to franchise a player, then work out a multiyear pact with him later in the offseason.
One position that’s significantly cheaper than safety is kicker, where Corry projects a salary in the $4.5MM range. The Ravens and Justin Tucker have reportedly been negotiating a potential extension for over a year, but with the franchise deadline approaching, the team isn’t afraid to use a tag on Tucker, if it comes to that.
Long shots:
The Jets want to extend Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Eagles have spoken highly of Sam Bradford, but it appears unlikely that either quarterback will get franchised. At least one report has indicated that the Eagles aren’t expected to use their franchise tag to retain Bradford, and a price tag of nearly $20MM seems too high for Fitzpatrick.
Like Fitzpatrick, Buccaneers running back Doug Martin is a player whose team badly wants to re-sign him, but may view the franchise tag salary as too high. For running backs, the tag could be worth nearly $12MM, which would make Martin the second-highest-paid RB in the NFL – behind Adrian Peterson – by a comfortable margin. For a player who has been as inconsistent as Martin, that seems excessive.
A handful of offensive linemen are possible candidates to be tagged by their respective teams, including Kelechi Osemele (Ravens), Russell Okung (Seahawks), Mitchell Schwartz (Browns), Kelvin Beachum (Steelers), and Andre Smith (Bengals). However, I’d be a little surprised if even one of those five got the franchise tag. Since there’s only one price tag for all offensive linemen, the projected salary ($13.678MM) is left-tackle money, and Osemele, Schwartz, and Smith haven’t seen much – if any – playing time at left tackle. As for Okung and Beachum, I’m skeptical that their teams will want to invest too heavily in them, since they haven’t been consistently healthy and elite in recent years.
If the Broncos strike a long-term deal with Miller soon, it would free up the franchise tag for quarterback Brock Osweiler or defensive end Malik Jackson. Even in the unlikely event that Miller and the Broncos agree to terms quickly though, the franchise salaries for Osweiler and Jackson may be a little too high.
Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul got the franchise tag last year, but it’ll be pricier this season, and obviously there are more question marks this time around, given the state of his right hand. As such, I don’t think he’s a real candidate to be tagged, despite New York’s significant cap space. Bengals safety Reggie Nelson seems like a similar long-shot — he had another good season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod, but it would be surprising to see a team commit $10MM+ to a 33-year-old safety.
Finally, Tucker isn’t the only kicker or punter who has a shot to be tagged. Jaguars punter Bryan Anger, Raiders punter Marquette King, and Packers kicker Mason Crosby are among the other special teams candidates. They’re all less likely than Tucker to be franchised, but the Jags and Raiders have the most cap room in the NFL, so they could certainly afford it.