49ERS LAND A MASSIVE COMMITMENT IN A MONSTER SWAP WITH TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS…
49ERS LAND A MASSIVE COMMITMENT IN A MONSTER SWAP WITH TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS…
The Buccaneers have had an active week and a half to say the least. Entering the free agency period, the Bucs had a lot of things on the to do list including bringing back a lot of their own and also filling holes along the roster.
They were able to retain Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield, Lavonte David, Antoine Winfield Jr and Chase Mclaughlin. Safe to say it has been a successful run for Jason Licht and the front office, now let’s give it a grade.
Franchise Tag Antoine Winfield Jr
I will start by saying this is most likely a paper move just meant to buy time between the two parties before an extension is reached. The Bucs and Winfield were not able to agree on terms before the franchise tag deadline so to avoid letting him hit the open market, Tampa Bay decided to slap the tag on him. The expectation is that the two sides will reconvene contract negotiations sometime soon.
This was an expected move and the Bucs absolutely had to keep Winfield, but it also takes a decent chunk of their cap space by not being able to get a long term deal done. It limited their flexibility, even if they will likely get a deal done at a later date. It’s a fine move, so a fine grade is what it receives.
Grade: C+
Re-sign Mike Evans to a 2 year, 52 million dollar deal
This was the big one and the talk of the offseason until that point. Mike Evans was Jason Licht’s first ever draft pick as GM of the Bucs, he had almost every Bucs offensive record and is basically a lock to end up in Canton. Simply put, Mike Evans needed to remain a Buccaneer.