No money in the cash budget for big moves. Bucs in trap of old player contracts being expensive (Evans, Godwin, Vea) versus new team with needs. Bowles has his hands full.
Discussed in the Fab 5
https://www.pewterreport.com/bucs-free-agency-maxx-crosby-truth-sr-fab-5/
Critical part of the discussion
Bucs With Cap Values Over $20 Million In 2026
QB Baker Mayfield – $39.975 million
LT Tristan Wirfs – $36.32 million
WR Chris Godwin – $33.68 million
S Antoine Winfield Jr. – $27.46 million
RT Luke Goedeke – $22.68 million
DT Vita Vea – $22.19 million
If the Bucs re-sign Evans to another $20 million deal, the number of players with $20 million cap values will climb to seven.
"To put that number in perspective, the Super Bowl champion Seahawks currently have just two players with salary cap values higher than $20 million. San Francisco and Los Angeles only have three. Philadelphia has four. Detroit has five.
and this
"So $50 million is the floor for Mayfield’s next deal. Whether you agree with it or not, Mayfield could fetch $50 million per year – or more – if he were to hit free agency right now. Keep in mind that the Dolphins will likely jettison Tua Tagovailoa, who makes an average of $53.1 million per year, and the Cardinals seem out on Kyler Murray, who makes an average of $46.1 million."
I think Mayfield with a bounce back year likely gets a 4 year 220 mil deal coming out to $55 mil a year
I think PR is just blowing smoke as they are over blowing the situation. Bucs have cap space to generate with ease if they are motivated. Also the Hawks are in a unique situation due to having a lot of rookie contracts since 2020.
Bucs can spend cap space if they want with a few moves. The truth is that they are valuing their own players far more than what is available in free agency but I think that changes this off season if Licht is smart.
I think PR is just blowing smoke as they are over blowing the situation. Bucs have cap space to generate with ease if they are motivated. Also the Hawks are in a unique situation due to having a lot of rookie contracts since 2020.
Bucs can spend cap space if they want with a few moves. The truth is that they are valuing their own players far more than what is available in free agency but I think that changes this off season if Licht is smart.
They've been good at managing the cap over the years. If they wanna make a run at a guy or two in free agency they likely could. I just wonder about the desire to spend right now with the glazers. Im curious if they even want to spend right now. They have an opportunity with this roster. It's not the best but it's got potential if you add some other pieces and the biggest one being the hc is not going to happen. Next best thing is to help the crappy hc out with some great players. Might have to be vets who already know when to tune out the hc and play football. Target these guys. Cause our hc sucks.
Bucs have cap space to generate with ease if they are motivated.
SR addresses that in Fab 1
"But this isn’t about cap room. This is about cash spending, as Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo has discussed before."
BUT here is the ultimate point he is making
"At some point if the Bucs want to continue to keep adding players making $20 million or more the team will also have shed some, too.
And with Baker Mayfield set to get a significant raise in 2027 to take up even more salary cap room and command more cash, the Bucs will have to part ways with some aging, high-priced stars. Tampa Bay simply won’t have a choice."
Bowles is the transitional coach
Good thread. Bowles as a placeholder has occurred to me often since the season ended. Lame duck. 2026 lost season for the Bucs.
Yes, Bucs in transition mode. Think about how little production they got from this list in 2025:
QB Baker Mayfield – $39.975 million
LT Tristan Wirfs – $36.32 million
WR Chris Godwin – $33.68 million
S Antoine Winfield Jr. – $27.46 million
RT Luke Goedeke – $22.68 million
DT Vita Vea – $22.19 million
Add in Mike Evans whose production (due to injury) was roughly Sterling Shepherd
I am not suggesting it is a direct parallel, but the 2002 Bucs were built around Sapp, Brooks, Lynch and Barber. Sapp and Lynch were gone after 2004?The Bucs treaded Keyshawn Johnson. Brooks was the aging LVD until 2008 retiring at 35, I think. So, the Bucs have a purge of older vets still under way, Gruden was fired in 2008?
It took at 5 win season for the Bucs to have some success in the 2003 to 2008 window. That 5 win season gave the Caddilac Williams (could have been Aaron Rodgers)
Just like now the Bucs failed to capitalize on their premium picks, Caddy injured, Gaines Adams etc.
The Bucs probably have some hard decisions to make. . . or not make and muddle on through (the current plan). They haven't had the purge or the 4 or 5 win season that gets them a key player.
I am not suggesting it is a direct parallel, but the 2002 Bucs
If you try to put yourself in the Glazers shoes, understanding that they have been through a SB win and a post SB period before, it should not be that difficult to see the Glazers valuing Bowles more than everyone here because he has flattened the post SB variance and chaos they experienced post 2002 and kept the Bucs in it (with the help of a weak division, for sure) when before the prior SB Bucs Bucs were down, up, down, up, down. This is probably why Bowles had a path to stay, especially when you think of Licht applauding him for winning with what he had to work with.
The reason that interpretation falls flat with some seems to relate to the intensity of the belief that the Bucs were STILL a SB contender in 2022 to 2025. That view also existed with many in 2003-2008 and, in fact, many were outraged when Gruden was dumped (after an extension). It was all an illusion in hindsight and in that era the Bucs sucked enough to get some true premium picks.
Gruden's dismissal came as part o as YOUTH movement and with all but Barber long gone. As SR points out that purge has not really finished yet. The Bucs afre a yolung team, but with big veteran contracts still in play (SR's comparison to the Seahawks)
Maybe the real question for fans is less what happened in 2025 or even what will happen in 2026, and more what happen the next decade? Will the Bucs avoid another "lost decade" in 2027 to 2037 that mirrors 2009 to 2019?
I don't think they view Bowles as a transition coach for 2026. Because having a new HC have an extra year to put in place his systems to compete for 2027 is far more valuable than for Bowles to be a caretaker and let the new HC take over in 2027.
Also, the excuse with cash doesn't fly as Davis (even his son) of the Raiders or the Saints Benson's (Husband and Wife) didn't have cash to work with and still were aggressive in free agency for many years.
Well, I think PR is just trying to tamp down the flames of false hope that the Bucs can go to town in the free agency period, and trying to point out that the Bucs aren't in the position to push a lot of cap money into the future. They aren't Superbowl contenders, and yet they aren't in rebuilding mode. But they have to plug those holes. They can't pin their hopes on the draft picks to solve the woes of this team.I think PR is just blowing smoke as they are over blowing the situation.
I think Mayfield with a bounce back year likely gets a 4 year 220 mil deal coming out to $55 mil a year
what if the baker we saw last year was closer to what he is (2023/2025) and that’s how he performs in 2026
what does he get then?
1)Baker's gotta learn not to play hero trying to scramble on 4 and 13 and 2) The Bucs have to find ways to win games without depending on Baker scrambling on 4th and 13.I think Mayfield with a bounce back year likely gets a 4 year 220 mil deal coming out to $55 mil a year
what if the baker we saw last year was closer to what he is (2023/2025) and that’s how he performs in 2026
what does he get then?
The Bucs have to find ways to win games without depending on Baker scrambling on 4th and 13.
This.
the Bucs need to play better around him