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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had an interesting 2022 campaign to say the least. They limped to an 8-9 record, but still made the playoffs due to the NFC South being absolutely terrible. The Brady Bunch then had an unceremonious end to the season, losing to the Dallas Cowboys 31-14 in the Wild Card Round. Now, that turmoil has carried into the 2023 offseason, which we will preview by laying out our Buccaneers offseason predictions
Tampa has already fired several members of the coaching staff, most notably offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. Additionally, Tom Brady has retired for good this time (supposedly), leaving Tampa without a clear answer under center. Finally, the Buccaneers are facing arguably the worst salary cap crunch in the league this offseason, as they currently find themselves $55 million deep in the red.
Needless to say, it's going to be a chaotic offseason in Tampa. The Buccaneers could try to stay competitive, or they could decide to enter a rebuild. Whichever path they chose to follow, they'll be one of the more intriguing teams to watch over the next few months. With that said, let's dive into our Buccaneers offseason predictions and see what could happen to them as they prepare for the 2023 season.
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4. The Buccaneers don't extend Devin White
Devin White is one of the most perplexing players in the NFL. There are times where he looks like an All-Pro, and his stats look great at first glance. However, his coverage skills and advanced stats are very lacking, as shown by his 45.5 PFF grade for the 2022 season.
This offseason will be a very interesting one for the former fifth-overall pick. The Bucs have already picked up his fifth-year option, so there's no question that he'll be on the roster for the 2023 campaign. Instead, the question is whether or not the Bucs will extend him to a long-term deal this offseason.
There is certainly a case for extending White, as he has great potential and has shown it in flashes throughout his career. However, considering the Bucs' cap situation, handing out another long-term contract may not be feasible. For now, it makes more sense to see how White performs in 2023 and go from there.
3. Most of the Buccaneers free agents walk
Tampa has several key free agents this offseason, some would say too many. The team's list of free agents include Jamel Dean, Julio Jones, William Gholston, Akiem Hicks, and more. With the Bucs' cap constraints, it's reasonable to expect most of these free agents to find new homes in free agency.
Emphasis on “most” in that sentence. For example, Anthony Nelson showed flashes this season and probably won't cost too much to keep around. However, when it comes to the big-name players, they are likely gone, as Tampa is short on money. That said, there should be one exception to that rule.
2. The Buccaneers retain Lavonte David
Losing other free agents would certainly hurt, but losing Lavonte David would hurt on another level. David has been a stalwart on the Bucs' defense for a decade now, and was one of the few bright spots on the team before Brady arrived. The star linebacker is a franchise legend, and seeing him in another jersey would just be wrong.
Even in his age-32 season, David was still just as effective as ever in 2022. The veteran linebacker recorded 124 tackles, tied with White for most on the team, 10 TFL, three sacks, five passes defended, and a forced fumble. His underlying numbers were great too, as shown by his very strong 84.1 PFF grade.
David signed a two-year, $25 million deal with the Bucs during the 2021 offseason, so it seems reasonable to expect a similar deal this time. Yes, the salary cap makes this much more difficult, but considering everything David has done for this franchise, navigating that hurdle is more than worth it.
1. The Buccaneers sign a QB, but not Jimmy Garoppolo or Derek Carr
The thing about Brady's retirement is that his contract doesn't just disappear from Tampa's payroll. Instead, the Bucs will take a dead cap penalty of over $35 million next season, with smaller penalties hitting the books through the 2026 season.
This severely handicaps what the Bucs can do this offseason, particularly at quarterback. They're already paying a ton of money to someone who won't even play, so they can't really afford to spend big at the position. For this reason, it doesn't make much sense to go after a big-name free agent like Jimmy Garoppolo or Derek Carr.
However, that doesn't mean the Bucs will completely ignore the position. It just means that they will likely decide to go with a smaller-name player to save some precious cap space. Some players who could fit this mold are Jacoby Brissett or Baker Mayfield. Additionally, this route has the benefit of allowing Kyle Trask to still compete for the starting role, which would give the Bucs a chance to see what they have in the former second-round pick.
Obviously, this isn't the sexiest move the Bucs could make this offseason. Considering the situation they're in, though, it's the one that makes the most sense.
