To watch Michael Jordan play basketball, which I had the privilege of doing every day for seven yearsits how I got my startI think was no different than being able to watch Picasso paint or to watch Beethoven sit at a piano. Barrett and outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul will need to be careful to set the edge and contain the mobile quarterback so he doesnt get outside the pocket to find a clear passing lane. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). When the Vikings blitz, its typically reserved for third-and-long when linebackers and safeties are brought off the edge. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Bucs QB Tom Brady and TE Cam Brate Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR. Bucs outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett is tied for the team lead with seven penalties, including four neutral zone infractions and three offsides. Each December I take a sneak peek at the upcoming Buccaneers offseason in my SRs Fab 5 column. Not having open locker room at One Buccaneer Place and restricted media access to players this year due to COVID-19 has forced me to do less feature segments on players and more analysis on the games. Gronkowski's 2021 cap number is $3 million. Greenberg is also a published author, having written non-fiction e.g. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. Win andRead more . He needs five more touchdowns over the last four games to set a new career high for TD passes. OL Joe Haeg While Godwin had a Pro Bowl season in 2019 with career highs in catches (86), yards (1,333) and touchdowns (nine), injuries have limited him to just eight games this year, and hes had modest production 49 catches for 562 yards and three TDs as a result. His favorite Bucs game is still the 1979 divisional playoff win 24-17 over the Eagles. It sounded like wishful thinking when Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians expressed his desire to "keep the band together" to try to repeat as champions a couple of days after defeating the Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV. Buccaneers announce several promotions within organization after Super Bowl season. Mike Greenberg enters his 13th season with the Buccaneers and second as the vice president of football administration, having spent the previous eight as director of football administration. Mike Greenberg and [director of football research] Jackie Davidson -- they're superstars, man," Arians said of the salary-cap work the duo orchestrated. They might have to take about half of what theyre getting paid this year Gronkowski makes just over $9.7 million, while Suh makes $8 million to stick around Tampa Bay in 2021 and make another run at the Super Bowl. Hes been available all season. DT Ndamukong Suh The rookie from Mississippi State was drafted in the third round after running a pedestrian 4.64 at the NFL Scouting Combine, but has played well in his first season in the league. Privacy Policy. If Smith returns for the final year of his contract, offensive tackle isnt that pressing of a need in 2021. And of course the Pewter Report Podcast is also available on iTunes and YouTube. Beat the Vikings on Sunday, that jumps up to 93 percent; lose Sunday and it drops to 56 percent for Bucs. How Much Do The Highest-Paid ESPN Stars Make. 3. He has 27 career interceptions, including four this year, in addition to 65 career pass break-ups. Godwin, Evans, Gronk(especially after Chiefs game), and Succop. Yes, Im a bit regimented. Typically the salary cap increases around $10 million each year, but it will fall by roughly $23 million in 2021. Bailey is now 12-of-15 (80 percent) on field goals for the year, and 27-of-30 (90 percent) on PATs. 8. The Bucs vs. Vikings Is A Big, Big, Big Game. LT Donovan Smith $14.25 million.. Wow, what has he done this season to earn that pay? News of the split came out before Greenberg and Golic could personally announce their decision to their listeners, another thing that frustrated the duo. Greenberg, who is entering his 14th year in the NFL and 12th in Tampa Bay, was promoted from director to Vice President of Football Administration. Smith, who has a 75.7 overall grade from PFF and a 77 coverage grade, is one of the best safeties in the league and a five-time Pro Bowler. For the past 40 years, Edmonson Electric AC Security has proudly served central Florida with electric services and now proud to add state-of-the-art Smart Home technology, security systems and air conditioning to its roster. Mike's annual salary at ESPN is $6.5 million. QB Blaine Gabbert Worry about the QB later. The 7-5 Bucs take the field against the surging 6-6 Vikings in a game that will have direct NFC playoff ramifications. Ive never been much interested in the salary cap analysis and all of the what-if scenarios. The Buccaneers find themselves in a tricky spot after Tom Brady's retirement. Both Cappa and Whitehead will earn around $2 million next year instead of their original base salary of $920,000. The normally reliable Bailey was 2-of-4 on field goals and also missed his first extra point attempt. Mike Evans signed a 5 year, $82,500,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including $55,008,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $16,500,000. Succop, who made 28 of his 31 field-goal attempts (90.3 percent) last season, was a tremendous bargain in 2020. She and Greenberg stayed in touch and talked constantly. Licht shouldnt pay Jones in 2022 (because you dont pay running backs), so drafting his eventual replacement to pair with KeShawn Vaughn, this years third-round pick, is important. And you were watching a rare genius in his or her [prime], doing stuff that only they can conceive. FS Andrew Adams, LS Zach Triner That helps the Bucs from an immediate salary cap standpoint whether Godwin is given the franchise tag, as I suspect he will be, or signed to a multi-year extension that averages close to that figure. Dont be surprised if the Bucs use the franchise tag on Godwin in 2021 over Barrett, who got the tag in 2020 after leading the NFL in sacks last year with a franchise-record 19.5. There is a cost to manipulating the salary cap with the dummy/voiding years the Buccaneers and other teams are using so liberally this offseason. The 6-foot-2, 188-pound Dantzler has decent initial quickness and long arms, which helps him in underneath zone coverage in Minnesotas Cover 2 scheme. We need to pick up a veteran RB with great hands and who can block too. Wirts to LT is great and get a good RT in free agency or with our next first pick. Smith's new 2021 cap number is $3.65 million. All Rights Reserved. Scott Reynolds is in his 27th year of covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the vice president, publisher and senior Bucs beat writer for PewterReport.com. Barrett has $18.75 million of fully guaranteed roster bonuses being prorated over the four years of his deal and the dummy/voiding 2025 contract year that was added. At 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, Smith is a hard-hitting defensive back with good range and long arms. So instead of entering the offseason with around $32.5 million in cap room, Tampa Bay will actually have closer to $30 million available. But in the end, you have to play the ball where it lies. Here is an advanced look at Tampa Bays huge home game against Minnesota. He is a die-hard New York Jets, Chicago Bulls, and New York Yankees fan. OT Josh Wells Collectively, Barrett, David, Fournette, Gronkowski, Succop and Suh are taking up $21.1 million of 2021 cap space while making a combined $53.75 million per year. ADVANTAGE: Push. Market Realist is a registered trademark. When someone keeps poking you with a cattle prod; after awhile, you winch before they actually prod you knowing the pain you are about to receive. G Ali Marpet $12.02 million A few others within the organizations scouting department are being elevated as well, with Sean Conley going from Scouting Assistant to Pro Scout and both Shane Scannell and Alex Smith moving up from their positions as Pro Scouts to both holding the title of Assistant Director of Pro Scouting. Wirfs has been brilliant on third and fourth downs this season as Pro Football Focus points out. It would be hard to justify paying Godwin more than Evans when hes had just one 1,000-yard season compared to Evans six 1,000-yard seasons. DT Steve McLendon Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. The 2021 salary cap was ultimately set at $182.5 million, a $15.7 million decrease from the $198.2 million figure in 2020. The second year in the most lucrative "pay as you go" contracts has a fully guaranteed base and roster bonus due during the first couple days of the league year that became fully guaranteed within a few days of initially signing. Fellow ESPN personalities Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser earn around $6 million per year. When provided, we also incorporate private tips and feedback received from the celebrities or their representatives. As to the Salary Cap in 2021; there is one part of the mathematical analysis we are forgetting about? Another great read SR, it will definitely be interesting to see Greenberg work his cap magic this offseason. Dont be surprised if Cousins tries to get some cheap first downs on some hard counts on third downs. After the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl back in February, quite a few players were rewarded with contract extensions or new contracts entirely. The Bucs need to get another running back to complement Ronald Jones II, who will be entering the final year of his contract in 2021. Retaining Barrett was a priority for the Buccaneers despite the franchise tag decision. The New York Post reported last October that Greenberg gets $6.5 million per year from ESPN, and according to Celebrity Net Worth, Greenberg has a net worth of $28 million. 4 QB pressures allowed Those players will then have the option to sign with a lesser team with more cap room like the Jaguars, Jets or Bengals for roughly the same amount as they were scheduled to make (or slightly less), or go to another good team that has a shot at making the playoffs for far less money at about $4-5 million. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. The pair made a bet that involved the loser having to perform an embarrassing stunt on air; In the first year, Greenberg won and Golic had to have an eyebrow waxed live on the air. Smith recently agreed to a deal that will pay him close to $8 million in salary per year, while Greenberg makes $6.5 million. In five games he has given up one sack, five QB hits and 11 pressures, but hasnt surrendered a sack over the last month. Fournette signed a one-year, $3.25 million contract worth up to $4 million in incentives. Tampa Bay doesnt have a replacement for Jensen, who has played well over the past two years, on the current roster, so its harder to imagine the team parting ways with him as a salary cap casualty despite him set to make $10 million in 2021, including a $750,000 roster bonus in March. The Hollywood Reporter reported in 2018, and the New York Post reported this week, that Greenberg makes $6.5 million annually. After decades in the sports journalism business, the TV host fans know as Greeny is one of ESPNs most visible faces and one of its best-paid employees. Somewhat surprisingly, none of the edge rushers were able to top the deal Trey Flowers received from the Lions in free agency two years ago. While its too early to pinpoint Tampa Bays exact personnel needs without knowing exactly who will return and who wont in free agency due to the looming salary cap crunch, we can take a macro approach when looking at the roster not just for 2021 but for 2022, as the team does to see where more talent is needed. Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 17, 2022. Its interesting to note that three of Bradys former teammates James White, Rex Burkhead and Dion Lewis are all free agents in 2021 and all have great hands. The Buccaneers are clearly operating in win-now mode where the short term is a priority over long-range planning. In the year 2017, he signed a million-dollar contract with ESPN and would receive $6.5 million as an annual salary from the Network. Hmmm. In 1996, he left Chicago for ESPN and became one of the first hosts of ESPNNEWS for the broadcast's inception. In 2010, he and Golic released a book titled "Mike and Mike's Rules for Sports and Life," and in 2013, Greenberg released a third book, this time a novel called "All You Could Ask For." David has 90 tackles, which is 19 behind Devin White, but just 1.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery this year. The jury is still out on how I feel about the mobile layout revamp for the main site. He graduated from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and started working as a sports anchor and reporter in Chicago. These types of cap charges are scheduled to be much more substantial in 2023. So the remaining Minnesota defenders only have 15 sacks in 12 games, led by Ifeadi Odenigbos 3.5 QB captures, who had a sack for a safety in last weeks 27-24 overtime win against Jacksonville. and 12 TDs. Each week you can find 4 Match-ups to Watch in the Fab 4 section of my SRs Fab 5 columns. Entering his seventh year with the Bucs, Duke Preston is going from director to Vice President of Player Engagement, a role that sees him focus on helping players grow both personally and professionally. We have a QB who is not mobile but is $ when he has time to throw. And we can examine where the Bucs could create more salary cap room not just to keep their own free agents and add a few key pieces starting in March, but also the $7 million or so needed to sign the 2021 draft class. The Buccaneers were projected to have approximately $13.1 million of 2021 cap space under offseason accounting rules where only the top 51 salaries (i.e. The Buccaneers will have a $24 million cap hit for Brady in 2023 if he decides to retire after the 2022 season when he is 45 years old or his contract isn't extended again before the voiding date, which is the last day of the 2022 league year (March 2023). Watch us live on our PewterReportTV channel on YouTube.com and please subscribe (its free) and add your comments. Well done, Mike, and congratulations! DE Jeremiah Ledbetter. Brown is only averaging 8.4 yards per catch in his first four games as a Buccaneer, catching 20 passes for 168 yards with no touchdowns. Needless to say, much is dependent on how the team finishes up the 2020 season. His base salary jumps to $14.5 million in 2022, and the guaranteed portion of his contract ($34.5 million) is. ET to recap all of the action from the previous Bucs game and get you ready for the next one. Agent's Take: Rodgers' trade value, logistics, best fit, Ex-Patriots star McGinest facing 8 years in prison, Gould to test market, won't kick for 49ers in '23, NFL combine 2023 tracker: Top performances, highlights, Report: Patriots to release veteran QB Hoyer. . Succop is the rare instance where Tampa Bay didn't using dummy/voiding years with a multiyear contract. Cornerback. Right guard Alex Cappa and strong safety Jordan Whitehead, who both entering the last year of their rookie contracts, will see their pay double next year due to the Proven Performance Escalator (PPE), which rewards players, who are on their initial NFL contract that were drafted in the third round or lower, with playing time bonus money. ), Haeg ($2.3 mill. Cleveland needs to have a big game against the big and powerful Suh to open up running lanes for Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook, in addition to keeping Kirk Cousins jersey clean on passing downs. Also, by disabling these cookies you will also disable banner ads served by Google Adsense on this website.. For more information about these items, view our complete privacy policy.Read More. The Buccaneers are getting Smith, who turns 28 in June, for a good value at $15.5 million per year. His 2021 cap is $5 million. Dantzler is coming off his best game as a rookie, recording his first interception, first forced fumble and first fumble recovery in last weeks win against Jacksonville. In 2018 he began hosting his on morning television show on ESPN called "Get Up". Regarding Fab 5: Antonio Brown can only run the routes hes given to run which seems to frequently be the same out route that Watson was running all the time, resulting in interceptions by Winston and Brady. Bucs WR Chris Godwin Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR. Raymond James Stadium is a difficult stadium to kick in, especially the south end zone due to the swirling winds. When you visit any web site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. We need a team president, a new GM, new head coach, new offensive coordinator and new scouts. Halfway through his eight games, he has 20 catches, 168 yards, 0 TDs. Dont be so quick to dismiss Stafford. I dont often comment, but had to acknowledge the quality of this Fab 5.