Major Part In Bucs’ 2018 Offseason Plan? Re-Sign Their Own

Evans’ fifth-year option is for $13.2 million and the Bucs want to sign him to a long-term extension. Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown is the highest-paid receiver, averaging $17 million per season. Houston’s DeAndre Hopkins is next with $16.2 million average per year, followed by Miami’s Jarvis Landry’s franchise tag contract of $15.982 million and Cincinnati’s A.J. Green, who makes $15 million per season on average. You have to figure that Evans will cash in on a deal worth at least $15 million due to the fact that he’s had four straight 1,000-yard seasons. That means he’ll likely take away another $2 million in new money from the 2018 salary cap space the Bucs have because he’s already on the books for just over $13 million.

Bucs MLB Kwon Alexander – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Alexander made his first Pro Bowl last year and has stats comparable to Los Angeles inside linebacker Mark Barron ($9 million per year) and Alec Olgetree ($10.5 million per year), who was just traded from the Rams to the New York Giants. Seattle’s Bobby Wagner makes $10.75 million per year, and Carolina’s Luke Kuechly is the league’s highest-paid middle linebacker, earning $12.35 million per year. Pencil in an average of $10 million per season for Alexander.

You might not like the plan of signing Smith to a long-term extension because he still gives up too much pressure on Winston’s blind side, but the Bucs are confident that he is one of the best 15 left tackles – not necessarily one of the top 10 – based on their evaluation and from feedback they have solicited from across the league. If Smith was able to hit free agency next March there would be a bidding war for his services and he would likely be paid closer to the fifth-best offensive tackle, and that’s something Tampa Bay wants to avoid by handling it this year.

Good left tackles do not grow on trees and Smith is only 24 and has never missed a start in his first three years in the NFL. Los Angeles Chargers’ Russell Okung, Cleveland’s Joe Thomas, Washington’s Trent Williams and New Orleans’ Terron Armstead are all in the $13 million per year club at the left tackle position. Oakland’s Donald Penn is the 14th highest paid left tackle, making an average of $9 million, so pencil in a deal with Smith worth $11 million per year.

Who knows how much the Bucs will be paying Marpet? The top centers make an average of between $8-10.34 million, and upper echelon right guards make between $9-12 million per year. Marpet won’t sign an extension until he knows whether or not he remains the starting center or if he moves back to guard depending on what offensive linemen the Bucs sign and draft this offseason. Pencil in $10 million per year for Marpet.

Bucs TE Cam Brate – Photo by: Getty Images

Don’t forget that the more pressing need is to reach long-term deals with restricted free agents tight end Cameron Brate and wide receiver Adam Humphries. With the addition of tight end O.J. Howard and wide receiver Chris Godwin, you might think that either Brate or Humphries – or both – is expendable, but the Bucs disagree. Winston has the strongest rapport with Brate of any receiver on the team, especially in the red zone, and has a similar rapport with Humphries, who is a chain-mover, on third downs.

Seattle’s Jimmy Graham is the top-earning tight end at $10 million per season, followed by Travis Kelce ($9.36 million), Washington’s Jordan Reed ($9.35 million) and New England’s Rob Gronkowski ($9 million). Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz makes $8.5 million per year on average and I think the Bucs will reach a deal with Brate somewhere between $7.5-8.5 million per year.

Of course the Bucs could offer him a one-year tender worth less than half of that amount, but that’s not what they are planning on doing. They will only do that if they cannot come to terms on a long-term deal by next Wednesday, but even if they do tender Brate an offer both sides can still work on negotiating a long-term deal over the spring or summer. I’m not advocating what the Bucs should or shouldn’t do with Brate, just reporting on what the team is planning on doing. Pencil in $8 million for Brate.

Humphries could fetch between $1.5-$2.5 million per year, depending on what comps (salary-production comparisons) the Bucs and Humphries’ agent agree on. Pencil in $2 million per year.

Humphries might be around for the long haul if he can continue to prove his worth, or he might lose playing time to Godwin. If that happens and let’s say the Bucs want to part ways with him after a year or two, remember that Greenberg typically guarantees the first year or two of a contract and that allows an “out” for the Bucs so the team can cut a player and there is no salary cap hit when doing so.

Bucs C Ali Marpet – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That’s $43 million worth of extension money right there, and Tampa Bay will need to leave about $6 million to sign its draft picks and have another $4 million to start the 2018 campaign with for in-season signings due to injuries. That’s up to $53 million that the Bucs will not be spending in March out of their available $71.1 million.

The Bucs certainly need more than Evans, Marpet, Alexander and Smith to win games. Tampa Bay has a combined record of 20-28 over the last three years with that quartet on the team.

But those contract extensions will be pricey, and that leaves approximately $18.1 million for the team to spend on new free agents in the first wave next week and the second wave, which will come after the draft in May.

Of course the Bucs can create another $6 million of cap space by releasing defensive end Robert Ayers and another $4 million by cutting oft-injured guard J.R. Sweezy if Licht can find upgrades in free agency. The team has until March 18 – four days after free agency begins – to decide on Ayers as he is due a $1 million roster bonus if he is still on the team on that date. So, at the most, Tampa Bay will have about $26 million to work with to sign new additions.

But, keep in mind that the Bucs plan on bringing back some of their own free agents like Grimes, defensive tackle Clinton McDonald and defensive end Will Clarke, so in reality the amount of money to work with for new free agents is actually under $20 million. Tampa Bay has already begun the process of re-signing its own players by inking Fitzpatrick to another one-year deal. And in case you’re wondering, the addition of Fitzpatrick means that the team won’t be pursuing quarterback Mike Glennon when he gets released by Chicago.

And speaking of quarterbacks, remember that the Bucs will need salary cap room next year to re-sign Jameis Winston to a contract extension in 2019, or let him play out his fifth-year option year, which will be north of $15 million.

Click the next page for Bucs’ 2018 Free Agent Targets.