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About the Author: Jon Ledyard
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According to ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates, the Bucs have restructured star guard Ali Marpet’s contract. The move added two void years to Marpet’s deal and created $4 million in cap space for 2021. In 2018, Marpet signed a five-year, $55-million extension that will keep him in Tampa Bay through the 2023 season.
The Buccaneers converted $5M of G Ali Marpet's contract into a guaranteed roster bonus (while adding two void years to his deal), creating $4M in cap space for 2021.
Marpet's cap charge increases by $1M for each of the next 4 years.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 25, 2021
This move by the Bucs front office will only increase speculation that Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman’s next stop could be in Tampa Bay. Following a Week 1 injury to Sean Murphy-Bunting, Bucs GM Jason Licht reached out to Sherman to gauge his situation. Sherman has remained un-signed since his contract expired in San Francisco this past offseason.
Marpet’s restructure will put the Bucs around the league average in cap space. The team’s only substantial injury loss has been Murphy-Bunting’s dislocated elbow, which landed the third-year corner on injured reserve. Outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul will miss Week 3 with a shoulder injury, but his absence isn’t expected to be long term.
As for Marpet, the 7-year guard has been a stabilizing force on Tampa Bay’s offensive line since being drafted in the second round in 2015. Shockingly, Marpet is still looking for his first Pro Bowl berth. The Hobart College product was on his way in 2020, but a concussion derailed his campaign around midseason. A great game against Aaron Donald on Sunday will go a long way toward getting Marpet to Las Vegas this year.
The Bucs travel to Los Angeles on Sunday to face the undefeated Rams in a 4:25 kickoff.
