We are about to enter another dimension - the Free Agency Zone. In other words, on the one hand the Bucs are cap strapped because the cap is only at 180 mil this year. What we need to consider is that every other team has the same problem.
There will be a lot of "cap casualties" as teams face the cap consequences. If Licht can resist the urge to spend all our cap space on our current players and be patient, he can find himself staring at some talented and affordable players who have been cut loose as teams and are available. There will be a lot of pressure from fans and probably coaches to show some loyalty and bring back the players who helped win the Superbowl. But somebody's going to make out like a bandit and scoop up some free agents at a bargain price. Perhaps the smart move would be to hold off on rewarding the big ticket guys and look to shop the new marketplace later.
That may mean guys like Lavonte David and Shaq Barrett are allowed to shop themselves around. That isn't going to make for good press when our Superbowl winning stars feel underappreciated and express their displeasure at not getting the offer they were expecting.
Licht doesn't a fan to tell him what's what with the salary cap. He knows the deal, but its easier said than done. Will he have the stones to hold back on the big reward paydays and wait and see what players get freed up? We shall see.
