Earlier this week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to manufacture a trade for Rob Gronkowski. That led many people to believe that O.J. Howard's future with the team is in doubt. However, despite the acquisition of Gronkowski, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht spoke about the speculation surrounding a trade involving Howard.
In response to any speculation that Tampa could trade OJ Howard, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht said today: "We're excited about having OJ Howard play with Rob Gronkowski. Why wouldn't you want to have many weapons at that position? We have an excellent tight end group right now."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2020
Of course, with Tom Brady under center, Gronkowski figures to be Tampa Bay's go-to option at tight end. Even though Howard was the starter a season ago, it remains to be seen what his role looks like in 2020.
On Wednesday, it was reported that the Buccaneers once had a trade in place that would send Howard to the Washington Redskins in exchange for Trent Williams. Nonetheless, talks fell through and Tampa Bay set their sights on having the former first-round pick on their roster.
With that being said, the Buccaneers couldn't have imagined that they would land Gronkowski this offseason. But with Gronkowski's arrival, that leaves Howard's role with the team hanging in the balance.
Just this past season, Howard recorded 34 receptions for 459 yards and one touchdown. As the No. 19 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Howard hasn't lived up to expectations in the NFL just yet. Although that may be true, Howard's trade value is still decently high given his age.
Besides Gronkowski and Howard, the Buccaneers also feature Cameron Brate at tight end. Even though it would make sense if they traded Howard, Licht believes the more the merrier when it comes to Tampa Bay's offensive weapons.
On the other hand, it remains to be seen if Howard feels the same way.
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