FAB 3. Bucs Plan To Pick Up Howard’s Fifth-Year Option

In last week’s SR’s Fab 5, I mentioned that Tampa Bay might extend the contract of wide receiver Chris Godwin, the team’s third-round pick in 2017, in the 2020 offseason after his 1,000-yard season this year. Godwin has had a monster of a season, catching 81 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns. He’ll finish as the first Buccaneer not named Mike Evans to lead the team in catches and yards since 2014.

But Godwin isn’t the only member of the Bucs’ 2017 draft class that will see his contract extended. Tampa Bay is expected to pick up the fifth-year option on tight end O.J. Howard, the team’s first-round pick in 2017, this offseason.

Bucs TE O.J. Howard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Howard is in the third year of his four-year rookie contract, and has a cap value of $3,025,805 in 2019. Howard’s cap number will climb to $3,530,107 next year, and Howard’s fifth-year option value is expected to be $6.059 million in 2021. Of course, like we saw with former Tampa Bay cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, who was the first-round pick in 2016, just because a player’s fifth-year option is picked up by the team doesn’t mean they will automatically make it to the fifth year to see that money. The fifth-year option can be rescinded once it is applied, and is only guaranteed for injury.

Howard’s first year in Bruce Arians’ offense has been a bit of a disappointment due to his lack of production – especially touchdowns – and has been complicated by his hand in several turnovers this year. Howard had a pass bounce off his hands and turn into an interception in the season opener against San Francisco, and also had a fumble inside the red zone. Against the Saints at home one month ago, Howard mishandled another catch attempt and it was intercepted in the Bucs’ red zone in the first quarter. New Orleans scored a touchdown one play later in a 34-17 victory.

Howard is the Bucs’ third-leading receiver in terms of yards with 367, and his 27 catches are fifth on the team this year behind running back Dare Ogunbowale (31) and fellow tight end Cameron Brate (30). Those numbers lag behind the production in his first two seasons when he caught 26 passes for 432 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games as a rookie in 2017, and a career-high 34 receptions for 565 yards and five touchdowns last season in just 10 games.

The good news for Howard is that there are three games left for him to be a factor I Tampa Bay’s passing game, and without the services of Evans down the stretch, Howard will be asked to step up more as a receiver. It’s not out of the question for the Alabama product to actually post new career highs this season when it concludes as his arrow has been pointing up the last two weeks.

Bucs TE O.J. Howard – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After catching just one pass for 10 yards in two games against New Orleans and Atlanta, Howard posted five catches for 61 yards at Jacksonville, and then followed that performance up with a season-high 73 yards on four catches (18.3 avg.) last week against Indianapolis.

Should Howard continue to ascend and finally live up to his first-round draft billing, the Bucs might want to sign him to a contract extension at some point. But after letting him play out his fourth year at just over $3.5 million and playing his fifth-year option at slightly over $6 million, Howard could receive the franchise tag from Tampa Bay in 2022 if the team isn’t quite sold on him yet, and that could be a bargain. 

Aside from kickers and punters, tight ends have the lowest franchise tag values in the league. This year’s franchise tag value for tight ends is only $10.387 million, which is cheaper than safeties ($11.15 million) and running backs ($11.214 million).

Although there were some rumors that Howard might be on the trading block back in October, the Bucs aren’t giving up on this talented tight end just yet. Nor should they because he could be a quite a value for the years to come from a salary cap standpoint.