Jason Licht Attends Florida State Pro Day
Four GMs — the Titans‘ Jon Robinson, the Steelers‘ Kevin Colbert, the Buccaneers‘ Jason Licht and the Bills‘ Doug Whaley — attended the pro day, while Mike Mularkey and Mike Tomlin were on hand as well.
Bucs Still In Mix For Kyle Williams
- The Buccaneers remain in the mix for kick-return man Kyle Williams, although the Broncos and Jets are also involved in the pursuit, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter) reports. Williams played for new Bucs coach Dirk Koetter at Arizona State. A former 49ers return man whose NFC championship fumbles identify him to most of the football landscape, Williams missed last season with an Achilles injury after signing with the Broncos. A return to Denver would be tricky given the Broncos’ limited cap space and having re-signed receiver/returner Jordan Norwood last week.
Robert Nkemdiche To Visit Bucs
Nkemdiche had dinner with the Cowboys last night and will officially visit the team’s facility prior to the draft, but Dallas is just one of 14 teams he’s scheduled to visit, according to Pauline. The Niners, Chargers, Raiders, Buccaneers, and Bears are also on the docket for Nkemdiche.
Miles Killebrew Set To Meet With Buccaneers
- Southern Utah safety Miles Killebrew is generating plenty of interest around the league, tweets Bleacher Report’s Luke Easterling. The defensive back is set to meet with the Buccaneers, Panthers, Titans, Cardinals, Patriots, and Falcons.
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Latest On Jets’ Quarterback Situation
The Jets and Ryan Fitzpatrick remain far apart in talks to bring the veteran back for a second season.
Fitzpatrick is still eyeing a contract commensurate with the league’s established starters at $16MM per season or clo
se to that, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who reports the Jets’ best offer toward the 33-year-old currently sits at $7MM AAV.
Cole also reports the Jets’ offer could be approaching $9MM per year when factoring in incentives, which goes along with a New York Post report from earlier today. Fitzpatrick’s camp has resisted this idea.
Gang Green’s offer to retain Fitzpatrick is now coinciding with top-end backup money after Chase Daniel and Robert Griffin III signed accords worth upwards of $7MM per season. Both will obviously compete for their respective team’s starting job, but their salaries have created a range that previously didn’t exist for veteran QBs.
That appears to be Fitzpatrick’s floor after he set a career high with a Jets single-season record 31 touchdown passes last season. Fitz, though, completed just 59.6% of his passes, which represented a considerable drop from his previous seasons.
Although the Jets do not view Geno Smith as a viable option to reclaim his starting job as his contract year approaches, Gang Green isn’t concerned at this juncture about its quarterback situation, per Cole. He expects the Jets to pursue a trade for another team’s backup, with Mike Glennon‘s name emerging soon after.
Glennon’s name has surfaced lately as a player that seems to be making its way onto the trade block as the Buccaneers backup’s contract year nears. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports the Jets have indeed researched Glennon as a possible solution and are scanning reserves around the league in case they cannot re-sign Fitzpatrick, whom they want to retain.
It won’t take a first-round pick to pry Glennon from Tampa Bay, Mehta reports, and a second-rounder would exceed any compensatory value the career 58% passer would produce. The Jets may not be willing to go that far, however.
Muhammad Wilkerson would probably be a way for the Jets to escape giving up a second-rounder in this potential deal, Mehta writes, but the Bucs already have Gerald McCoy signed to a top-end defensive tackle contract (seven years, $95.2MM). The Bucs’ willingness to fork over $40MM+ guaranteed for the Jets’ franchise-tagged stalwart may be a stumbling block here.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images
Bucs Could Seek WR Depth In Draft
Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter likes his group of receivers but he says that he could also add to that group in the draft, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes.
Bucs Worked Out Alabama OL Dominick Jackson
- Alabama offensive lineman Dominick Jackson, who Pauline opines is one of the more versatile and underrated guard/tackle prospects in the draft, worked out for the Buccaneers this week.
Daryl Smith Contract Details
- Daryl Smith, LB (Buccaneers): One year, $2.5MM. $2MM guaranteed. $650K signing bonus. $500K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times).
Bucs To Meet With Ryan Smith
- Ex-Alabama cornerback/kick returner Cyrus Jones has a full itinerary, with visits with the Ravens, Eagles, Bills and Saints lined up, Wilson reports (on Twitter). Jones also has private workouts with the Buccaneers and Panthers scheduled, per Wilson.
- The Buccaneers are set to host North Carolina Central defensive back Ryan Smith on a visit, Wilson reports (on Twitter).
Ryan Smith To Work Out For Bucs
- Vernon Hargreaves has a meeting with the Jaguars on April 5th, per Jenna Laine of Sports Talk 1040 (on Twitter). He’ll also be meeting with the Buccaneers on April 7th or 8th.
- In total, Smith has six workouts and five visits on his docket, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post writes. In addition to the clubs listed above, Smith has private workouts with the Cardinals, Jets, Panthers, Patriots, and Ravens. On top of that, he has visits lined up with the Raiders, Steelers, Buccaneers, Dolphins, and Vikings. At the combine, Smith turned heads when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds.
- Vernon Hargreaves has a meeting with the Jaguars on April 5th, per Jenna Laine of Sports Talk 1040 (on Twitter). He’ll also be meeting with the Buccaneers on April 7th or 8th.