Tag: Buccaneers

Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Todd Bowles: Bucs can still win without Tom Brady

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles addressed the elephant in the room on Sunday, although the “animal” in question is more appropriately referred to as the “G.O.A.T.”

Bowles spoke of his team’s expectations at quarterback in the wake of Tom Brady’s retirement.

“When you replace a player of that magnitude, first of all, you don’t replace him,” Bowles told NFL Network of Brady’s departure from the team. “You lose aura. You lose the expectation of being great. That doesn’t mean you can’t be great. You just have to do it more as a team. We did it as a team when he was there, but he was such a great player and a great person that you focus all on that. And now that that is gone, the perception is that everything else is gone when really it isn’t.

“We have a lot of good players on our team on both sides of the ball. We have some pieces to fill, but we have a lot of good football players on our team. And we just have to understand that and not go with the so-called outside narrative and do what we have to do to win ball games.”

With Brady retired, all eyes will shift to free-agent acquisition Baker Mayfield and in-house candidate Kyle Trask at the quarterback position.

“I liked Baker when he was coming out,” Bowles said of the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.

“We kind of hit it off when I was with the Jets. I went down to Oklahoma and we had this vibe between us. And not to say he had the strongest arm and everything else, but he’s a leader. He has great understanding of the football game. He knows where to go with the football. And he has moxie. He’s a guy’s guy. The players love to be around him, and they will fight for him because he’s a winner.”

“… So, between him and Trask, I have no doubt that one of them will come out and be successful.”

Tampa Bay is Mayfield’s fourth team in three years. The 27-year-old helped his chances by finishing last season strong after being claimed by the Los Angeles Rams.

Trask, 25, completed 3 of 9 pass attempts for 23 yards in one game last season. He was picked in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

–Field Level Media

Dec 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette (7) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Bucs release RB Leonard Fournette, TE Cameron Brate

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially released running back Leonard Fournette and tight end Cameron Brate on Friday.

Fournette, 28, signed a three-year, $21 million extension prior to the 2022 season. He rushed for 668 yards and three touchdowns and added 73 catches for 523 yards and three scores in 16 games (nine starts).

Fournette has rushed for 4,478 yards and 34 touchdowns and added 312 catches for 2,219 yards and seven scores in 79 career games (61 starts) with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buccaneers. He was selected by the Jaguars with the fourth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft out of LSU.

Fournette was supplanted by then-rookie Rachaad White as the starter in Week 10. His pre-June 1 release saves a reported $3.5 million against the salary cap.

Cutting ties with Brate, 31, reportedly clears another $2 million in cap space.

An undrafted free agent out of Harvard in 2014, Brate spent parts of nine seasons with the Buccaneers.

He was limited to 20 catches for 174 yards in 11 games last season. He sustained a concussion in Week 4 and was later taken off the field on a stretcher with a neck injury in Week 7.

Brate totaled 273 catches for 2,857 yards and 33 touchdowns in 126 career games with the Buccaneers.

–Field Level Media

Jan 1, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos running back Chase Edmonds (19) runs the ball against Kansas City Chiefs safety Justin Reid (20) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Bucs signing RB Chase Edmonds to 1-year deal

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are signing running back Chase Edmonds to a one-year deal, ESPN and The Athletic reported Thursday.

Financial terms were not reported. Edmonds was released by the Denver Broncos on Monday.

Edmonds, 26, rushed for 245 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games (three starts) with the Broncos and Miami Dolphins in 2022. Denver acquired Edmonds from Miami on Nov. 1.

Edmonds has rushed for 1,796 yards on 4.5 yards per carry in 70 career games (18 starts) with the Arizona Cardinals (2018-21), Dolphins and Broncos. He has 11 career rushing TDs. He also has 144 career catches out of the backfield for 1,078 and another six TDs.

–Field Level Media

Jan 1, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield (17) throws the ball in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Bucs to sign Baker Mayfield as Tom Brady replacement

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Quarterback Baker Mayfield agreed to a deal with the Buccaneers that presents the former No. 1 overall pick an opportunity to start, according to multiple reports.

Tampa Bay would become Mayfield’s fourth team in three years. The 27-year-old helped his chances by finishing last season strong after being claimed by the Los Angeles Rams.

The Buccaneers lost Tom Brady to his second, apparently official, retirement at the end of the 2022 season and are in the midst of a major roster overhaul due to salary cap restrictions.

Mayfield was drafted No. 1 by the Cleveland Browns in 2018 and became expendable with the team’s acquisition of Deshaun Watson last year. He was traded to the Carolina Panthers and opened the season as the starter before injury and ineffectiveness pushed him into a backup role.

As a rookie with the Browns, Mayfield had 27 touchdowns with 14 interceptions and had nine games with multiple TD passes. He had 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2020 before fighting through an injury-riddled 2021 season that prompted general manager Andrew Berry to kick the tires on a trade with the Houston Texans to add Watson.

With the Rams, Mayfield helped lead a game-winning drive two days after Los Angeles claimed him via waivers.

Mayfield’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Van Jefferson with 10 seconds left stunned the Las Vegas Raiders, 17-16, in Week 14. He threw a total of four touchdowns with two interceptions and was sacked 17 times in five games with the Rams.

The Buccaneers were left with one quarterback, Kyle Trask, on the roster when Brady retired in February. Blaine Gabbert, the No. 2 quarterback for the Bucs last season, is an unrestricted free agent.

–Field Level Media

Dec 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Shaq Mason (69) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Buccaneers to ship OG Shaq Mason to Texans

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers guard Shaq Mason will be traded to the Houston Texans when official league business allows the transaction on Wednesday.

The deal was first reported as a possibility last week by The Athletic and multiple outlets on Tuesday said both sides were in agreement. NFL Network reported that the Buccaneers will receive a sixth-round draft pick and the Texans will get a seventh-round selection along with Mason.

Tampa Bay saves $5 million under the salary cap, helping to create cash to bring back free agent cornerback Jamel Dean.

Mason, 29, is in the final year of his contract and would have counted $9.5 million against the Buccaneers’ cap in 2023.

A fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech, Mason started his NFL career with the New England Patriots (2015-2021) and was traded to the Buccaneers prior to the 2022 season. He has 115 career starts in 120 NFL games.

The Texans also agreed to terms on a one-year deal with wide receiver Noah Brown, per the Dallas Morning News.

Brown, 27, set career highs with 43 catches for 555 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games (13 starts) in his fifth season with the Dallas Cowboys in 2022.

–Field Level Media

Oct 23, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean (35) leaves the field after the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Buccaneers near deal to retain CB Jamel Dean

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Top free agent cornerback Jamel Dean is nearing a deal to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before the official start of free agency, The Athletic reported Monday.

The deal would pay Dean $52 million over four seasons, per reports.

Restricted by a tight salary cap situation, Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht described the mission to keep Dean, a third-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, as challenging when discussing the roster at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Dean earned $3.55 million over his first four seasons in the league.

In his four seasons in Tampa Bay, Dean appeared in 57 games (38 starts) and had 193 tackles (six for loss), 41 passes defensed, seven interceptions and one touchdown.

The 26-year-old made a career-high 15 starts last season before missing the final two regular-season games with a broken toe.

–Field Level Media

Jan 1, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Baker Mayfield (17) throws the ball in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Bucs targeting free agent QB Baker Mayfield

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to target free agent quarterback Baker Mayfield as a replacement for the retired Tom Brady, NFL Network reported Sunday.

Mayfield, who turns 28 next month, split last season with the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams after playing his first four seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

He was 1-5 with the Panthers and 1-3 with the Rams, completing a combined 60.0 percent of his passes for 2,163 yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 12 games (10 starts) in 2022.

Drafted No. 1 overall in 2018, the former Heisman Trophy winner is 31-38 as an NFL starter. Among quarterbacks in his draft class, his 16,288 passing yards and 102 touchdowns trail only Buffalo’s Josh Allen (18,397 and 138).

If he does sign with the Bucs in free agency this week, Mayfield would presumably compete with Kyle Trask for the QB1 slot vacated by Brady. Trask, 25, completed 3 of 9 passes for 23 yards last season.

–Field Level Media

Feb 3, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Donovan Smith during NFL football practice, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021 in Tampa, Fla. The Buccaneers will face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 55. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Zedaker/Handout Photo via USA TODAY Sports

Reports: Buccaneers to release veteran T Donovan Smith

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will release veteran left tackle Donovan Smith, multiple outlets reported Tuesday.

The team selected Smith with a second-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he’s started all 124 games he’s played in. He missed four games to injury in 2022 — eight games in all in his eight seasons in Tampa.

By releasing Smith, the Buccaneers will save nearly $10 million in cap space, according to Spotrac.

The Buccaneers are $58.3 million over the salary cup, per OvertheCap.com.

Smith, 29, was entering the final season of a two-year, $31 million contract extension he signed in March 2021.

The Buccaneers also reportedly will release running back Leonard Fournette and tight end Cameron Brate when the new league year begins March 15.

–Field Level Media

Jan 16, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) takes the field before a wild card game against the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady dismisses notion of ending second retirement

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Tom Brady jokingly cited his new family responsibilities on Tuesday as his reasoning against ending his second retirement from the NFL and returning for a 24th season.

“Anyone who thinks I have time to come back to the NFL has never adopted a 2 month old kitten for their daughter,” Brady wrote Tuesday on Twitter.

Brady’s response on social media came after “The Rich Eisen Show” suggested that the decorated quarterback could make another comeback, this time with the Miami Dolphins.

Brady, 45, previously had been linked to the Dolphins, with the NFL punishing the club last year for tampering. The league took away Miami’s first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and its third-round selection in 2024.

He initially retired on Feb. 1, 2022. He changed his mind 40 days later and returned to play last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Brady once again retired on Feb. 1, 2023. He appears intent on taking the 2023 season off and will debut as a FOX Sports analyst during the 2024 campaign.

Brady played in the Super Bowl 10 times — or 18 percent of all Super Bowls to date. He was a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player and 15-time Pro Bowl selection. He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots before joining the Buccaneers ahead of the 2020 season.

Brady is the owner of the most Super Bowl championships (seven), most regular-season wins by a quarterback (251), most postseason wins by a quarterback (35), most passes completed (7,753), most pass attempts (12,050), most passing yards (89,214) and most passing touchdowns (649).

–Field Level Media

Oct 2, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate (84) against the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Buccaneers to release TE Cameron Brate

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to release tight end Cameron Brate, ESPN reported on Thursday.

The reported move likely isn’t much of a surprise given the Buccaneers are roughly $57 million over the salary cap and the team’s youth movement at the position. Brate, 31, carries a $4.985 million salary cap hit for the upcoming season, per Spotrac.

Tampa Bay spent a fourth-round pick on Cade Otton in 2022 and sixth-round selection on Ko Kieft.

Otton, 23, had 42 catches for 391 yards and two touchdowns last season.

An undrafted free agent out of Harvard in 2014, Brate has spent parts of nine seasons with the Buccaneers.

Brate was limited to 20 catches for 174 yards in 11 games last season. He sustained a concussion in Week 4 and was later taken off the field on a stretcher with a neck injury in Week 7.

Brate totaled 273 catches for 2,857 yards and 33 touchdowns in 126 career games with the Buccaneers.

–Field Level Media