Grading the Buccaneers free agency haul

How have the Buccaneers done in free agency so far?

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.

Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images

Tampa Bay was able to get that done with a two year deal and with a contract structure that is team friendly, Evans’ cap hit for 2024 is just over five million dollars. It was very important for the Bucs to get a deal with Evans done. It just would not have looked right for Evans to be seen in any other jersey besides red and pewter. Evans remains in Tampa Bay as he and the team looked to keep him a Buc for life.

Grade: A

Re-sign Baker Mayfield to a 3 year, 100 million dollar deal

There were some that still had their doubts about bringing Baker Mayfield back into the fold, but for the most part the consensus was that they needed to get a deal done with him. The sides ended up coming together on a three year deal but why this is such a good deal for Tampa Bay is in the details.

A lot of the guaranteed money is in the first two years of the contract, meaning the Bucs could walk away after year two of the contract for a very small dead cap hit. It is set up in a way that provides the Bucs with an answer at QB, but the ability to move on if they absolutely need to. Mayfield was the Bucs best option at QB in 2024 and he remains with the team that took a chance on him with a deal that is fair for both sides.

Grade: A-

Re-sign Chase McLaughlin to a 3 year, 12.3 million dollar deal

Even with Mayfield’s success, McLaughlin was easily the Bucs best free agent acquisition and one of the most consistent players on the entire team. After the Bucs shaky history with kickers, it was important for them to bring McLaughlin back.

This is a fine contract for a kicker who certainly earned it in 2023. If he keeps up this pace, he may go down as one of the best kickers in Bucs history.

Grade: B+

Trade Carlton Davis to the Detroit Lions for a 3rd round pick

The Bucs said goodbye to a mainstay of their secondary and arguably their best corner but picked up an extra day two pick and saved cap space in the process. The full details are the Bucs sent Carlton Davis, a 2024 and 2025 6th round pick to the Lions for a 2024 3rd round pick which is 92nd overall.

I will be honest, I acknowledge that losing Davis hurts because he is a talented corner, but this is tremendous value for Tampa Bay. When the trade was first announced, I assumed the Bucs would be picking up a 5th, maybe a 4th. To add another day two pick is massive for this team as they look to reload through the draft.

Grade: B+

Re-sign Lavonte David to a 1 year, 9 million dollar deal

This was pretty much expected but it is good to see it get done and keep David in a Bucs uniform. Like Evans, it wouldn’t feel right to see David in another uniform. At this point in his career, each year could be the last one so it was very cool to see David decide to give it another go in 2024.

Grade: A

Re-sign Greg Gaines, Chase Edmonds, John Wolford, Justin Skule

Depth pieces that matter, but nothing groundbreaking.

Gaines: C+

Edmonds: B-

Wolford: B+

Skule: C

Sign Jordan Whitehead to a 2 year, 9 million dollar deal

He’s baaaack. Jordan Whitehead returned to the team that drafted him in the fourth round back in 2018. After leaving Tampa Bay in free agency two seasons ago, Whitehead is back in the fold. He had a solid two year run in New York with the Jets and the fit was obvious once Whitehead hit the open market.

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

The Bucs have been looking for someone to pair with Winfield in the secondary ever since Whitehead and with not much success, they simply turned back to the man himself. A great fit and value signing for the Bucs.

Grade: A

Sign CBs Bryce Hall and Tavierre Thomas to 1 year deals

The corner depth has been tested in Tampa Bay over the past few seasons with Carlton Davis and Jamel Dean both having injury issues. With Davis gone and Dean still prone to the occasional injury, it was important to add some veteran depth and that’s what the Bucs did with Bryce Hall from the Jets and Tavierre Thomas from the Texans. Both guys will compete for playing time and both have traits to like. For a one year deal, it is pretty harmless and is a low risk, high reward pair of moves.

Hall: B

Thomas: B+

Sign OL Ben Bredeson and Sua Opeta to 1 year deals

Just like at corner, the interior of the offensive line could always use some depth, especially with both Aaron Stinnie and Nick Leverrett departing. They turned to the NFC east and signed a Giant in Ben Bredeson and an Eagle is Sua Opeta. Bredeson is probably best served as a reserve who can come off the bench in a pinch and play, but Opeta is interesting. He was a solid backup for the Eagles and started sometimes for them, but Philly has one of the best and deepest o-lines in the NFL. Is it possible that Opeta could be this year’s Shaq Barrett for Tampa Bay? A guy who has talent, but did not get as much opportunity because of the situation he was in. I’m not saying Opeta is going to be great, he may not even be the starter but there is some potential there.

Bredeson: C+

Opeta: B+

It is not a guarantee that Tampa Bay is done in free agency, and anything can pop up at any time, but the fact that they were able to retain all of their big names, even retain some depth plus add some depth and a starting safety from the outside, it is certainly a successful free agent period for Licht and company.