The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had their typical offseason so far. Which is to say it’s been pretty outstanding.
Somehow, they convinced wide receiver Chris Godwin to give them a hometown discount in the range of $20 million to stay in Tampa on a 3-year, $66 million contract. Then, they did the right thing by bringing back veteran linebacker Lavonte David at the heart of their defense on a 1-year, $9 million contract in what could very well be his last NFL season.
They also had a marquee free agent signing on the defensive side of the ball, bringing in free agent edge rusher Haason Reddick on a 1-year, $14 million contract.
Now, they need a cornerback. A good one. And unless they want to draft one, which is a possibility, they’re going to need to take a long look at the remaining cornerbacks on the free agent market. For a team that wants to be a Super Bowl contender, the Buccaneers should go after the very best one available with Asante Samuel Jr.
ESPN’s Jenna Laine had the possibility of adding another cornerback as the “biggest remaining roster question” for Tampa Bay on March 20.
“With this year’s record-setting defensive back deals, (Jamel) Dean’s $12.5 million salary and $15.1 million cap hit look like a bargain, but the Bucs still need a starting-caliber corner,” Laine wrote.
Buccaneers’ Defense Almost Derailed Season in 2024
The Buccaneers almost missed the playoffs for the first time in 5 seasons thanks to a porous defense that seemed to fall apart without NFL All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in the lineup. Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, Winfield missed a career-high 8 games in 2024 and was a shell of the player who dominated opponents in 2023.
While Spotrac projects Samuel to receive a 4-year, $45.8 million contract in free agency, the market would seem to indicate that’s not going to happen for him and the Buccaneers could step in and take advantage quickly by offering him a deal along the lines of a 1-year contract worth between $5 million to $8 million as a starting point.
Samuel is the son of 2-time NFL All-Pro and 2-time Super Bowl champion cornerback Asante Samuel and has spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Chargers, who selected him in the second round (No. 47 overall) out of Florida State in the 2021 NFL draft. Samuel Jr. was a full-time starter for the Chargers for his first 3 seasons but missed a career-high 13 games in 2024 with a shoulder injury.
“I think with a few defensive players, Tampa Bay could be really good,” former Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden said on the Fitz & Whit podcast on March 11. “We know they can win the (NFC) South, but they could be Super Bowl contenders.”
Defense Improved For Bucs Late in Season
The Buccaneers were among the bottom 10 in the NFL on defense before getting their act together down the stretch — mostly thanks to bravura performances from David as well as interior defensive linemen Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey.
Even with that, Tampa Bay finished in the bottom half of the NFL in team defense, coming in at No. 18 out of 32 teams.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Buccaneers Could Become ‘Super Bowl Contenders’ With Projected $45 Million CB appeared first on Heavy Sports.