Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Contract Details: Winston, Ward, Fournette, Conklin, Jones, Jewell, Vander Esch

March 22nd, 2022 at 8:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest details from recently agreed-upon contracts around the NFL:

Charvarius Ward, CB (49ers): Three years, $40.5MM. Of Ward’s $26.7MM in guarantees, $12MM comes via a signing bonus, Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus tweets. The 49ers will keep Ward’s initial cap hit low, with his 2022 figure checking in at $3.8MM. That spikes to $16.3MM in 2023. Two void years are included in Ward’s deal, giving the 49ers a cap charge of $4.81MM in 2025.
Jameis Winston, QB (Saints): Two years, $28MM. Winston received a $14MM signing bonus and has a $1.2MM fully guaranteed 2022 base salary, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. $5.8MM of Winston’s $12.8MM 2023 base salary is presently guaranteed for injury; it will become fully guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2023 league year. Winston can earn up to $16MM in incentives, $8MM in each year, through team accomplishments — as long as Winston is the Saints’ primary starter — and participation rate.
Leonard Fournette, RB (Buccaneers): Three years, $21MM. Along with a $4.5MM signing bonus, the Bucs fully guaranteed Fournette’s 2022 base salary ($2MM) and $2MM of his $6.5MM 2023 base, Florio notes. Another $2MM of that amount turns from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee next year. Fournette’s $6.5MM 2024 base is nonguaranteed. Among the deal’s $1.5MM in incentives, which only cover 2023 and 2024, Fournette can collect $250K for finishing a season in the top 15 in rushing yards and $500K for a top-10 rushing finish.
Tyler Conklin, TE (Jets): Three years, $20.25MM. The Jets are guaranteeing Conklin $10MM, including $3.9MM of his 2023 base salary. Conklin’s cap hits go $3.4MM, $8.4MM, $8.4MM from 2022-24, Spielberger tweets.
Ben Jones, C (Titans): Two years, $14MM. Jones will see $8MM guaranteed, which comes via $6.88MM signing bonus and a guaranteed $1.12MM 2022 base salary, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Jones’ deal includes a $1MM roster bonus due on Day 5 of the 2023 league year. His 2023 base salary comes in at $5MM.
Josey Jewell, LB (Broncos): Two years, $11MM. The Broncos guaranteed Jewell $6MM, which is present through a $4MM signing bonus and a $1.5MM 2022 base salary, Wilson tweets. His nonguaranteed 2023 base comes in at $4.49MM. An additional $1MM in incentives are also available for the four-year veteran.
Leighton Vander Esch, LB (Cowboys): One year, $2MM. The Cowboys are guaranteeing $1.75MM and included an additional $1MM in playing-time incentives, Ari Meirov of PFF tweets.

Bucs, DL William Gholston Nearing Deal

March 22nd, 2022 at 5:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers continue to prioritize keeping their free agents. Hours after another Leonard Fournette reunion came to pass, the team is close to re-signing William Gholston.

The veteran defensive lineman is nearing a deal to stay in Tampa, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. At least four other teams expressed interest in the nine-year veteran, per Fowler, but Gholston wants to stay with the Bucs. It is a one-year agreement, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.

Tampa Bay already extended Gholston, but the team is in a bit stronger position than it was when the parties agreed to that deal — a five-year, $37MM pact — back in 2017. Gholston, 30, played out that contract last season. Gholston has been a regular starter for the Bucs for most of the past eight seasons and sits behind only Lavonte David as the team’s longest-tenured player.

After teaming with Gerald McCoy as the Bucs’ D-line anchors, Gholston has worked alongside Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea for the past three seasons. Vea signed an extension recently, but Suh is unsigned. So is Jason Pierre-Paul, who has been connected to other teams. But the Bucs have done well to retain high-priority free agents, tagging and then extending Chris Godwin and keeping Ryan Jensen and Carlton Davis off the market.

Fournette and Gholston represent the latest puzzle pieces. Although unsigned players remain and the team lost guard starters Alex Cappa and Ali Marpet, Tampa Bay’s 2022 offseason resembles its historic 2021 retention effort.

Gholston, who will turn 31 before Week 1, registered a career-high 4.5 sacks last season. DC Todd Bowles deployed Gholston as a part-time player in 2021, using him on 44% of the team’s defensive snaps. The former fourth-round pick has nevertheless been a key part of the team’s past two Bucs defenses, combining for 15 tackles for loss and 31 quarterback hits in that span.

Contract Details: Miller, Robinson, Reddick, Mariota, Jensen, Collins, Brown, Norwell

March 22nd, 2022 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the latest details from contracts recently agreed to across the league, starting with the Bills’ big-ticket deal for a future Hall of Fame edge rusher:

Von Miller, LB (Bills): Six years, $120MM. Miller’s deal includes $51.44MM guaranteed. The Bills will keep Miller’s early base salaries low; he is tied to $1.1MM (2022) and $1.3MM (’23) salaries, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. Miller has a $13.34MM roster bonus due in 2023, and Albert Breer of SI.com tweets his deal includes $50MM over the first two years. His $17.1MM, $19.6MM and $29.6MM salaries from 2025-27 are nonguaranteed.
Allen Robinson, WR (Rams): Three years, $46.5MM. Robinson is attached to guaranteed base salaries of $1.5MM and $10MM in 2022 and ’23, respectively, per Wilson (on Twitter). The contract includes a $5.75MM roster bonus on Day 5 of the 2024 league year. If Robinson surpasses 2,200 receiving yards in the regular season and playoffs during the 2022 or ’23 seasons, Wilson adds his 2024 year will void (Twitter link). Only Cooper Kupp has accomplished that feat in a season.
Haason Reddick, DE (Eagles): Three years, $45MM. Reddick, who is guaranteed $30MM, is tethered to base salaries of just $1MM and $1.1MM in 2022 and 2023, per Wilson (on Twitter). His $13.75MM 2024 salary is nonguaranteed. The Eagles tacked three void years onto the deal for cap purposes. Reddick will collect a $13.7MM roster bonus in 2023.
Ryan Jensen, C (Buccaneers): Three years, $39MM. Jensen’s deal includes $26.5MM guaranteed. The Bucs center is tied to a $1.5MM base salary in 2022 and a $12.5MM base in 2023, Wilson tweets. Jensen’s 2023 salary is partially guaranteed at signing; it will become fully guaranteed if he is on Tampa Bay’s roster by Day 5 of the 2023 league year. A $1.5MM 2024 roster bonus resides in this deal as well. The Bucs included two void years here for cap purposes.
La’el Collins, T (Bengals): Three years, $30MM. The contract is closer to a two-year, $20MM pact, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, with Year 3 being included for cap purposes (Twitter link). It appears Cincinnati has dipped into the void-year realm, though is not clear just yet how this contract is structured.
Marcus Mariota, QB (Falcons): Two years, $18.75MM. This deal veers closer to a one-year pact. Mariota is due $6.75MM in 2022, but NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes (on Twitter) a $12MM 2023 option is included in this contract. A key point for Mariota’s Atlanta future will arrive on Day 5 of the 2023 league year, when a $3MM roster bonus is due.
Trent Brown, T (Patriots): Two years, $13MM. Brown will see $4MM guaranteed, Pelissero tweets. The veteran right tackle can earn up to $22MM on the contract.
Andrew Norwell, G (Commanders): Two years, $10MM. Norwell will collect $5.7MM guaranteed, Wilson tweets. He is set to earn $1.2MM and $3.54MM in base salary, with Wilson adding Washington added three void years onto this deal.

Buccaneers To Re-Sign Leonard Fournette

March 22nd, 2022 at 8:57am CST by Adam La Rose

One day after a visit with the Patriots, Leonard Fournette has decided to stay in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are re-signing the running back to a three-year, $21MM deal (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport). He adds that the contract has a maximum value of $24MM.

An ESPN report further details that the deal includes $9MM in guaranteed money. Fournette, 27, has spent the past two years in Tampa Bay after his time in Jacksonville came to an end. He was clearly willing to test the open market, given his visit in New England, but a return to the Buccaneers – especially given the unretirement of Tom Brady – was the most logical move in the eyes of many.

Fournette didn’t have the bell-cow type of workload he was used to as a Jaguar during his early days with the Buccaneers. However, he took over the starting role from Ronald Jones in 2021, and seized the opportunity. The former fourth overall pick averaged a career-high 4.5 yards per carry, and ranked sixth in the league amongst RBs with 1,266 scrimmage yards.

Keeping Fournette was also likely a necessary move, given the state of Tampa’s depth chart at the position. The aforementioned Jones, along with Giovani Bernard, are both unrestricted free agents, so this signing fills a roster hole. Along with the extension of receiver Chris Godwin, it also marks another sign of continuity in the Bucs’ offense, which – to much more of an extent than many thought – will look very similar in 2022 to what it has in the past two seasons.

Patriots Meeting With Leonard Fournette, Working Out Malcolm Butler

March 21st, 2022 at 12:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

Two notable names are in Foxborough today. Free agent running back Leonard Fournette is visiting the Patriots, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link).

Fournette, 27, spent the past two seasons in Tampa Bay after three seasons with the Jaguars. He took on a much larger role in his second year with the Bucs, receiving 249 touches compared to 133 the previous campaign. He totalled 812 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground, adding 69 catches for 454 yards and another two scores in the passing game.

The former fourth-overall pick would represent a significant addition to the Patriots’ run game. While New England ranked eighth in the league in rushing last season, Fournette’s pedigree and production would help strengthen the position group, currently headed by Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. On the other hand, Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times notes that the Buccaneers “would love” to retain the former LSU star (Twitter link).

Meanwhile, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports that the team is working out former cornerback Malcolm Butler. The 32-year-old didn’t play in 2021, having walked away from the Cardinals near the beginning of the season due to personal reasons, but he took a step towards a comeback by visiting the Texans earlier this month.

Butler spent his first four seasons with the Patriots, a stretch which included two Super Bowl victories and his only Pro Bowl appearance. That earned him a big payday courtesy of Tennessee, where he played for three years. His final campaign with the Titans was highly productive – 100 tackles, four interceptions and 14 pass breakups – but he was released in a cost-cutting move.

Butler would likely help fill the void left by the free agency departure of J.C. Jackson in the Patriots’ secondary. If he and/or Fournette were to land in New England, they would mark significant moves in what has been a relatively quiet offseason so far for the team.

Bucs To Sign Logan Ryan

March 18th, 2022 at 8:40am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are rolling out the pewter carpet for Tom Brady. On Friday, the Bucs agreed to sign defensive back and former Brady teammate Logan Ryan, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).

Ryan was released by the Giants on Thursday, bringing his three-year, $31MM deal to an early end. The 31-year-old wasn’t a fit for the new regime, but he was still productive last year as he notched 117 tackles, two tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and eight passes defensed across 15 games.

The veteran first made his name in New England, where he spent four seasons with Brady and the Pats. Along the way, he won two Super Bowls and positioned himself for a three-year, $30MM deal with the Titans. He enjoyed one of his most productive seasons in 2019, setting career-highs in tackles (113), passes defended (18), sacks (4.5), and forced fumbles (four), but the Titans didn’t want him back. That led him to the Giants, where he switched to safety and notched 200+ tackles over two seasons.

The terms of the deal are not yet known, but Ryan is still set to collect $5.5MM from the Giants this year, so the Bucs probably didn’t have to break the bank for him.

Buccaneers Restructure Mike Evans’ Deal

March 17th, 2022 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

Mike Evans has agreed to restructure his contract with the Buccaneers (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). The wide receiver has done this several times before, enabling the Bucs to have more cap flexibility.

Evans’ last recent restructure came in September of 2021, bailing out the Bucs at a time when they had just $200K in breathing room. This time around, he was scheduled to count for $20.62MM against the cap. Now, Tampa will have an extra $10.3MM to work with.

This is likely a simple restructure, one that converts much of Evans’ base salary into a bonus. Assuming that’s the case, the crux of his deal will remain unchanged. As it stands, Evans is signed through the 2023 season, plus some void years for extra salary cap magic.

Evans, 28, notched 74 receptions for 1,035 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. He’ll look to top those totals this year alongside Chris Godwin (who has a shiny new deal), Breshad Perriman, and newcomer Russell Gage.

Restructured Contracts: Saints, Floyd, Hyde, Barrett

March 16th, 2022 at 10:42pm CST by Ben Levine

While teams are currently focused on adding free agents, some front offices are looking to carve out some extra cap space. We’ve collected some of today’s restructured deals below:

The Saints opened up some extra cap space earlier today. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the team restructured the contracts of defensive tackle David Onyemata and offensive tackle James Hurst. The moves saved the team an extra $7.015MM. Onyemata inked a three-year, $27MM deal with the Saints in 2020, and he already reworked his contract last offseason. A year ago yesterday, Hurst inked a three-year, $9MM extension with New Orleans.
The Rams opened up $12MM in cap space by reworking Leonard Floyd‘s contract, according to Yates (on Twitter). Floyd signed a four-year, $64MM extension with the organization last year. In two years with the Rams, the edge rusher has collected 20 sacks, and he’s added another four in six playoff games.
The Bills converted $5.68MM of safety Micah Hyde’s contract into a signing bonus, opening $4.54MM in cap space, per Yates (on Twitter). The veteran signed a two-year, $19.25MM extension with Buffalo last offseason. Hyde has spent the past five seasons in Buffalo, earning a pair of Pro Bowl nods while only missing a pair of regular season games.
The Buccaneers restructured Shaq Barrett’s contract, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The move should open up just under $10MM in cap space, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). After playing the 2020 season under the franchise tag, Barrett inked a four-year, $72MM deal ($36MM guaranteed) with the Buccaneers last offseason.

Buccaneers Sign WR Chris Godwin To Three-Year Extension

March 16th, 2022 at 8:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Chris Godwin and the Buccaneers have agreed to a long-term deal. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Buccaneers are signing their star receiver to a three-year $60MM deal. The contract includes $40MM in guaranteed money due at signing.

The Buccaneers had to slap the franchise tag on Godwin when the two sides couldn’t agree to an extension by the tag deadline, but there was always optimism that the two sides would eventually agree to a long-term deal. We’ve heard in recent weeks that the two sides were continuing to work towards a new contract.

The franchise tag’s value would have been at $19.2MM, so Godwin ended up passing that total with his AAV. Tampa Bay got to clear up some much-needed space via the multiyear deal; ESPN’s Jenna Laine tweets that Godwin’s first-year cap hit is only $5MM, so the Bucs carved $14MM off their 2022 cap. If the contract looks familiar, it’s actually the exact same terms that Mike Williams got on his new deal with the Chargers.

A third rounder in 2017, Godwin has certainly outperformed his draft status during his time in Tampa Bay. His 2019 Pro Bowl season showcased his ability even without a quarterback the caliber of Tom Brady in the picture. His 2021 season with the future Hall of Famer (98 catches, 1,103 yards, five touchdowns) confirmed his talent level.

Brady is sticking around in 2022, and the Buccaneers offense looks as loaded as ever. Godwin and fellow top wideout Mike Evans will both be back, and Russell Gage was brought in to replace Antonio Brown on the depth chart. The team also re-signed veteran WR Breshad Perriman. We’ll still have to see whether Rob Gronkowski or any of the Buccaneers RBs return (Leonard Fournette, Ronald Jones, and Giovani Bernard are all FAs), but Brady’s main targets will be sticking around Tampa Bay for the foreseeable future.

Buccaneers Re-Sign WR Breshad Perriman

March 16th, 2022 at 8:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have agreed to a new deal with Breshad Perriman. It’ll be a one-year contract for the veteran wide receiver. According to Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter), Perirman inked the veteran salary benefit, meaning he’ll get the league-minimum $1.12MM (plus $152K bonus).

Perriman’s first stint with the Bucs came in 2019, when he registered 36 receptions for 645 yards and six touchdowns. That performance earned him a one-year, $8MM deal ($6MM guaranteed) from the Jets. He had a solid season in New York during the 2020 campaign, finishing with 511 yards from scrimmage.

In 2021, he was initially set to play with the Lions, but he was dropped before the final cut. He later joined the Bears, but was released without appearing in a single snap. Upon his return to Tampa, Perriman was jockeyed between the active roster and the practice squad. In six regular season games, he notched eleven catches for 167 yards. He also saw a little bit of playoff action, notching one grab for five yards in his first ever postseason appearance.

In other Bucs news, they’ve also swung a trade for Tom Brady‘s old pal Shaq Mason. The veteran guard graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 ranked guard last year but only cost Tampa a fifth-round pick.

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