With potential game changing talent available and/or possibly available for trade at the moment one has to wonder why the Buccaneers are not being bigger players. There have been no mention of the Buccaneers even testing the waters on players. No rumors. Nothing. And at this point they seem a few key pieces short of being true contenders. Unfortunately the answer may lay in the cap and the issues void years are creating for the Buccaneers.
2024 Cap Issues
Starting at the end of last season the team did well to identify the key players it needed to bring back. Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield being the biggest two. Unfortunately the language in their contract with the void years meant there was a dead line to get things done. So with the process of contract negotiations and the their deals were not made in time. It was almost laid out that if the Buccaneers had over paid for Evans and Mayfield they may have saved money on the cap. But that didn’t happen.
Subsequently the two added approximately $14.3 million in dead money. Lavonte David sits in the same situation with $2.6 million in dead money. This is in addition to other players not on the roster accounting for a total close to $55 million. Good for forth in the league with the most and not a good spot to leave a team on the cusp of true contention. This clearly plays a role in the team’s ability to acquire more talent and has made the front office jokey to get the players they wanted back in the first place.
2025 Outlook
Next year looks to be more of the same, even if there is an increase in the cap. As of today the Buccaneers sit second in the NFL in dead money next season at $29 million. This will further be exasperated if the Buccaneers don’t learn from this season’s missed opportunity with Evans and Mayfield. Chris Godwin will be a free agent next season and is currently scheduled for an $18.8 million dollars dead money hit. Pushing the issue from $29 million to $47.8 million. Anthony Nelson and Greg Gaines would add another $4 million if not signed in time.
Kicking The Can Further
2026 looks better as of right now. The only void year to keep track of will be Evans again at $13 million. 2027 will have Mayfield again with another void season accounting for $11.5 million. The good news is 2026 and 2027 should be the prime opportunity to fix the issue. Front loaded contracts will go long way to getting this teams spending under control to stay competitive while leaving room for adding additional key pieces to push their ability to compete.
Final Thought
Considering some of the ages of key players on this team (Evans/31 years old, Godwin/28, Vita Vea/29, Mayfield/29) the front office needs to hit well on draft picks (that goes without saying) and be players in the free agency market. If they continue with void years they prevent themselves from being able to really go after the payers they will need by reducing avenues for adding talent.
Furthermore void years make for a complex situation when negotiating with players. They have an incentive to stall and not sign right away. Taking precious time away from the front office. The Buccaneers, in my opinion, have over used the void years but also had to do so in order to retain Tom Brady for as long as they did. But looking forward they have an opportunity to fix the situation.
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