Buccaneers Trade Options At Wide Receiver

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are down hard with major injuries at wide receiver. So much so that in order to continue to make a push for the playoffs the team needs to make a move now to keep pace. Unfortunately one receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, just signed with the Chiefs. So now it’s imperative that the Buccaneers make a move considering three big name wide receivers have found new homes via trade. So lets dive into the options.

The Buccaneers could very well go after target number one, Cooper Kupp, and sign one of the best and possibly available slot receivers that mirrors Chris Godwin’s game. There are also added benefits here besides the obvious production. Kupp will have some understanding of the offense before even entering the building. Liam Coen’s game has been shaped and molded by his time with the Rams and has nuances that Kupp will be familiar with.

The big question becomes how much will it cost? Not just in terms of draft capital but in terms of contract. Right now Kupp is set to count for $29.7 million against the cap in 2025 and $27.3 in 2026. Additionally, if the team wants to bring Godwin back, this heavily cuts into the money they would need to resign him.  Jason Licht likes his draft capital and the ability to sign this own players.

This trade cuts down on both. So it becomes a question of how desperate the team is. This is why I feel though rumors are swirling there may not be a trade partner here. The chance is low that it happens. Before an injury this season Kupp had logged two games with a total of 147 yards, 8.2 yards a reception, and 3.6 yards after catch.

Though the Jets feel like a team that could turn it around and make a run for the playoffs they may be willing to trade after acquiring Davonta Adams. Mike Williams is playing on a one year contract worth $2.7 million this year with a large amount of dead money in void years attached. After being bumped down the depth chart last week Williams  may want a change of  location. Unfortunately, I don’t view him as a viable option from a production stand point. This season he’s only caught 11 receptions for 160 yards. Also, he’s more a deep threat not a slot receiver who can move about the positions. Last season over 22% of his passes were deep shots. That’s not what the Buccaneers are looking for in replacement of Godwin.

Though he could fill in for Mike Evans in the time being and stay on the roster to further add deep capability and stretch defenses. That’s only if the Buccaneers feel one of the current receivers could step into a slot role. The pressing need however is replacement for Godwin and his production.

Now Tyler Boyd is a slot receiver on a failing Titans team that comes across as a strong candidate for trade. He’s 28 years old and on a one year contract that is extremely cap friendly. In fact it’s so friendly the team could peruse other trades for other players in positions of need if they felt so compelled. At only $2.4 million this may be the best bang for a buck. Now I wouldn’t expect 2018 and 2019 season numbers from him (over 1,000 yards) but I would expect for him to make a large impact over those on the roster now. Last season with Joe Burrow only playing  seven games and the others coming from a small but surprising role with Jake Browning I could see him hit the 600-700 yard mark again in Tampa. Those numbers may be enough to get the team the wins required to get into the playoffs.

On the final year of his contract and on a bad Giants team Darius Slayton will likely hit free agency. The Giants may want to get something in return for him though. Only 28 years old the receiver has eclipsed 700 yards each season with the exception of one injury plagued year. The injuries were for both him and Daniel Jones. So the Buccaneers could give little capital to acquire a receiver with 1,000 yard potential. Unfortunately, for him he’s been tied to Jones for far too long. However the Buccaneers may value him depending on his performance to bring him back with Evans and Godwin making a real three headed monster at the wide receiver position.

The Buccaneers can’t swing for the fences if they want to bring Chris Godwin back. Plus if he leaves the team is stuck with a large amount of dead money. So the logical and long term move here is to find a trade candidate with little cap space to consume. Kupp, counts too much against the cap next season so I feel this will not happen. Williams is more an Evans style replacement. So again, for this to happen the Buccaneers view other receivers on the roster as good candidates for the slot. Boyd and Slayton make the most sense of the four from both a production standpoint and cap situation for the future.

Now I have heard other names tossed around as well. Jakobi Meyers would be nice but is of little cost to the Raiders and is a good piece to retain to prevent from having to fully rebuild. Ja’Marr Chase has been tossed out there, and though I would love that, he requires a big payday and the Bangles have the money to do it next season. So it’s not going to happen and is ridiculous. Calvin Ridley is far too expensive at this time too. Diontae Johnson is within the NFC South and unlikely. This leaves very little in terms of players to trade for.

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