The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a laundry-list of things that need to be addressed heading into the 2023 NFL offseason.
First Things First
The first question that needs to be answered is the ever looming Tom Brady decision. Will he stay in Tampa, will he play for another team or hang it up and call it a career? This decision by Brady is huge and will determine how the Bucs move forward. This is explained best by Fox Sports’ Greg Auman.
“The other thing to remember is that the Bucs have two different financial realities if Brady isn’t back. If he signs elsewhere, he counts $35 million against the 2023 cap; if he retires, he can count $11 million in 2023 and $24 million in 2024. Latter allows for more spending.”
The Kicked Can
The last three years have seen general manager Jason Licht work a lot of cap magic. Whether it be voidable years or straight contract restructures, the team has to address the salary cap issue.
Just how bad is the cap situation? Spotrac currently has the Pewter Pirates projected to be $55 million over the 2024 salary cap. Yes, you read that right. And that’s not even counting pending free agents, Brady, Lavonte David, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Jamel Dean and Mike Edwards. All together the Bucs have 23 unrestricted free agents to make a decision on this offseason. Then add in creating enough cap room to sign your draft class and practice squad, and the task seems insurmountable.
The 2024 offseason isn’t going to be any easier. The Buccaneers will be looking to re-sign Tristan Wirfs, Antoine Winfield Jr and Devin White to long-term deals.
Next year’s salary cap isn’t set yet so the $55 million dollar number may go up or down. Regardless, the Bucs have a lot of work to do, and some hard decisions to make.
The Aftermath with AJ & Slick
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