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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions. @PewterReport Twitter accounts are added to the Bucs Mailbag weekly. Submit your questions to the Bucs Mailbag weekly via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag. Here are the Bucks questions we chose to answer in this week’s issue.
Question: Knowing how the Bucks operate, do you think a contract extension will happen before he becomes a free agent?
Bucks assistant GM Mike Greenberg – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
answer: It’s possible. If the contracts of free agent wide receiver Mike Evans and quarterback Baker Mayfield are actually completed by February 19th, when their previous contracts expire, the Bucs will have about 8 million in cap space in 2024. It is possible to earn dollars. If Tampa Bay re-signs both of them by then, the team can avoid $8 million in dead money from their previous contracts jumping into the 2024 cap, which assistant GM Mike Greenberg plans to use in the future. can be turned to
But it’s actually not that big of a deal, as there are a number of players Greenberg could use to convert a portion of their 2024 base salary into a bonus to increase cap space. For example, defensive tackle Vita Vea will have a base salary of $15.5 million, wide receiver Chris Godwin will have a base salary of $18.5 million in 2024, and cornerback Jamel Dean will have a base salary of $12 million.
It’s important for Greenberg, general manager Jason Richt and the Bucks to not rush into deals, but to get Evans, Mayfield, and the organization to deals that are right for them. It’s clear that if a deal isn’t finalized by March 11, when the legal tampering period begins, there’s a risk of losing either Mayfield or Evans, or both, to free agency.
But at the same time, the Bucs are allowing players like Dean, linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Carlton Davis III to test free agency to see what their true market value is. It’s possible that either Evans or Mayfield could get a deal, but probably not both.
Question: When is the earliest the Bucks can announce contract extensions for Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans? I have a feeling it could happen soon.
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and WR Mike Evans – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
answer: The Bucks are free to negotiate with free agents now and sign them today if they want, but that’s unlikely to happen. Free agency is a chess match, and timing and deadlines are important for teams and agents from a strategy and exploitation standpoint. As a result, most re-signings occur just before free agency begins, or soon after, just before contracts are announced.
It’s no coincidence that the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis is held just before the start of free agency. Teams and agents often have downward discussions in early March before free agency begins to gauge a player’s market value and parameters. Even if it’s tampering, it’s still happening, and the NFL will open a “legal tampering” window at noon on March 11, two days before the actual start of free agency on Wednesday, March 13 at 4 p.m. So much so that it was opened.
As mentioned above, the Bucks have recently allowed some of their top free agents to test the market and find their value. However, this year could be different, as Baker Mayfield’s interest in returning to Tampa Bay could dwindle if Mike Evans signs elsewhere, and vice versa. There could be a domino effect regarding the Bucks’ top two offensive free agents, with either Mayfield or Evans re-signing before free agency begins, increasing the team’s chances of re-signing the other. There is a possibility that Tampa Bay.
Question: Scott, when do you expect to complete the hiring of the remaining coaches for the offensive coaching staff?
Bucks OL coach Kevin Carberry – Photo courtesy of USA Today
answer: Days after the Bucs hired Liam Cohen as their new offensive coordinator, the Bucs hired offensive line coach Kevin Carberry. Carberry was the Rams’ offensive line coach in 2022 when Cohen was in LA. Carberry was an assistant offensive line coach in New Orleans last year. Carberry has been described as a very smart coach, and Coach Cohen really wanted him on his staff.
Cohen arrived in Tampa Bay last Tuesday to visit One Buccaneer Place for the first time and hold a press conference. Perhaps he will meet with remaining staff members such as tight ends coach Jon Van Dam and running backs coach Skip Peete, as well as assistants such as David Rye and Jeff Castor, to see if they want to add them to the coaching staff. I’ll have to check it out. Lai and Kastre have been working with former wide receivers coach Brad Idzik, and it could be possible for one of them to be promoted to receivers coach under Cohen.
Head coach Todd Bowles will allow Coach Cohen to restructure the offensive coaching staff as he sees fit. So if Coach Cohen wants to bring in a new receivers coach, a new tight ends coach, or a new running backs coach, he’ll likely allow it. The guess here is that at least Pete will stay. The veteran coach did a great job developing Rashard White last year and working with the running back in his first season in Tampa Bay.
Question: I saw Haason Reddick asking for permission to be traded. Is this a realistic player for the Bucks? He and YaYa Diaby could be a nightmare off the edge, allowing them to focus on other needs in the draft. Can this be achieved?
Eagles DT Jalen Carter, OLB Haason Reddick, DE Josh Sweat – Photo courtesy of USA Today
answer: No, I don’t think the Bucs are interested in the two-time Pro Bowl edge rusher due to contractual requirements. Haason Reddick was allowed to seek a trade from Philadelphia because he wants a raise in salary. He currently earns an average annual salary of $15 million, ranking him 18th among all edge rushers. overthecap.com.
Redick has one year left on his contract with the Eagles, but any team that acquires him in a trade will likely want to extend his contract. Otherwise, they would be giving up draft capital and renting him out for a year. That’s not wise.
And it probably wouldn’t be wise to invest more than $15 million on a player who turns 30 in September. Redick has recorded double-digit sacks four years in a row, including 11 last year with Philadelphia. But as the Bucs experienced with 31-year-old Shaq Barrett, edge rushers lose a step at some point and their productivity drops dramatically (usually around age 30).
Question: A cheaper option (versus a top player) that might fit into Todd Bowles’ scheme is Andrew Van Ginkel. Do you think there would be any interest from the Bucks if he were to become a free agent?
Dolphins OLB Andrew Van Ginkel – Photo courtesy of USA Today
answer: I saw players like Andrew Van Ginkel from Miami. New England’s Josh Uche He would be a cheaper free agent option as an edge rusher. The Bucs spent a lot of money acquiring free agents such as quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans, safety Antoine Winfield Jr., linebacker Lavonte David, and kicker Chase McLaughlin. They will not be able to spend a lot of money on new forces because they will have to invest. Free agent player.
This isn’t a great draft for edge rushers, but it’s a solid group in free agency. Players like Jacksonville’s Josh Allen, Carolina’s Brian Burns, Minnesota’s Daniel Hunter, San Francisco’s Chase Young, New York’s Bryce Huff and Houston’s Jonathan Greenard could receive maximum contracts in March. Highly sexual. If the Bucks want to sign a veteran free agent other than a linebacker, the team will likely wait until the first wave of free agents comes and goes before signing a second-tier player like Uche or Van Ginkel. It will be.
Van Ginkel, a fifth-round pick by Miami in 2019, re-signed with the Dolphins on a cheap one-year deal worth $2.65 million and recorded a career-high six sacks and six picks in 2023. Recorded. He wants to stay in Miami, but But he also wants to make more money. Van Ginkel allows for great schemes because he can rush the passer and get into coverage. The Bucs will like the fact that the 6-foot-4, 242-pound outside linebacker has 27 career pass breakups, including eight last year.
Question: If the Bucks acquire a starting center through free agency or the draft, could Robert Hainsey be a significant upgrade at left guard?
Bucs C Robert Hainsey – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
answer: I don’t know if Robert Hainsey will necessarily be a huge upgrade at left guard. I think his best fit for the NFL is at center, but Tampa Bay could use a better, more talented starter in 2024. Hainsey is a very smart player, and that’s the real value he brought to the Bucks as Ryan’s two-year replacement. Jensen.
Hainsey was a right tackle at Notre Dame, but doesn’t have the size or long arms to play outside of the NFL. And because he doesn’t have the lower body strength and size to play guard, he often has to go one-on-one with defensive tackles. Hainsey, a center, was able to double-team with guards Cody Mauch and Aaron Stinney last year and wasn’t often isolated one-on-one at defensive tackle.
I think the Bucks will sign a free agent center or guard and then draft a position not covered in free agency. Matt Feiler won’t return and the Bucks could move on from Stinney. This contract year will give Hainzu the chance to compete for a starting spot at center or guard, but not the starting spot.
Question: Scott, do you think Van Jefferson will be considered as a receiver to replace David Moore after the Bucs sign a top free agent? He was drafted while he was there.
Former Rams WR Van Jefferson – Photo courtesy of USA Today
answer: There’s a chance David Moore will return to Tampa Bay, unless he follows Dave Canales and Brad Idzik to Carolina. Moore made huge strides down the stretch, scoring huge catch-and-run touchdowns against Green Bay and Philadelphia in the playoffs. He’s still a great scheme fit for Liam Cohen’s new offense, which is similar to what Canales ran last year.
As you mentioned, Van Jefferson became a star player at Florida and was a second-round pick by the Rams in 2020. After catching 19 passes for 220 yards (11.6 average) and one touchdown as a rookie, he caught 50 passes for 802 yards (16 average) and six touchdowns in 2021. It became a breakout record. But that was the season Cohen was at Kentucky.
When Cohen returned to Los Angeles in 2022, Jefferson caught 24 passes for 369 yards (15.4 average) and three TDs. His production has declined over the past two seasons, catching just 12 passes for 101 yards (8.4 average) in 12 games with Atlanta last year.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound player is more of a possession receiver in the NFL, and Moore’s speed and YAC (yards after catch) ability may be more appealing to Tampa Bay. . It’s unclear if the Bucs are interested in Jefferson, but he likely would be a cheaper option at receiver after signing a one-year deal with the Falcons last season worth $1,375,156.
