The running back position was one that carried a lot of uncertainty for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going into the 2017 offseason. One thing was not uncertain, however, and that was the team’s desire to retain their most effective back from last season, Jacquizz Rodgers, in some form.
According to Jason La Canfora, the two parties have come to an agreement, and the contract Rodgers will sign this time around is for two years, $3.3mil as a base with an extra one million in incentives. $600k of the deal is guaranteed. PewterReport.com has confirmed these numbers. It’s the first multi-year contract Rodgers has signed since his rookie deal back in 2011.
Rodgers, who was signed by Tampa Bay back in September of 2016 following Week 1, ended up leading the team in rushing for the 2016 season as a fill-in for Doug Martin and Charles Sims. Rodgers led the team in rushing yards (560), had the longest run of the season (45 yards), averaged the highest YPC (4.3) and scored two touchdowns.
Rodgers certainly proved he deserved to be back on this team in some capacity with his consistency and willingness to pick up the slack wherever it was, and Jason Licht and the rest of the front office rewarded him for that.
The team is likely to still draft a running back at some point in the upcoming draft. How soon they do that will all depend on how things shake out with Doug Martin.
