The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be heading into Jameis Winston’s biggest season without arguably his favorite target as Adam Humphries is headed to Tennessee.
Adam Humphries is officially a member of the Tennessee Titans after agreeing to a four-year deal worth a total of $36 million according to Diana Russini; a price tag that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could not afford to match in order to retain the slot wide receiver’s services.
It appeared that Humphries was looking for around $6-8 million per year and instead came away with $9 million annually, a nice haul for one of the most underrated receivers in the NFL. The Titans were apparently in a bidding war with the New England Patriots and in the end, came out on top in the battle to acquire Humphries.
Humphries is coming off a career year tallying 76 catches, 816 yards, and five touchdowns; career highs across the board for the 25-year-old receiver. He finishes his four-year tenure in Tampa Bay with 219 catches, 2,329 yards and nine touchdowns.
The Bucs will now look to fill the void either in-house, find a bargain in free agency, or through the NFL Draft. With only seven draft picks, they could find a late round sleeper to fill the hole in the slot that Humphries leaves behind.
Bobo Wilson and Justin Watson will challenge for the vacated spot, but expect the Bucs to make a move for another slot receiver in some capacity as neither of the in-house candidates look to be the long-term answer in Tampa Bay. Free agency and the draft remain their best option for filling the role of slot receiver.
The Bucs, still in a bind with cap space even after the trade of DeSean Jackson, will not fill this void in free agency until after the first and second wave goes by, leaving behind the clearance rack of players to choose from. Adding an additional sixth round pick in the trade of Jackson will help them more ammunition in their search.
Humphries’ dependability and services will be missed in Tampa Bay, and The Pewter Plank wishes him nothing but the best in Tennessee.