Buccaneers: Team not likely to re-sign Breshad Perriman

Breshad Perriman was on an absolute tear to end the season but will now command too great a salary for the Buccaneers to bring him back.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had one of the best receiving corps in the entire NFL in 2019. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were next to unstoppable with Breshad Perriman exploding onto the scene when injuries forced him into the limelight.

Breshad Perriman started out the season as the most likely number three option after his arrival from Cleveland but was unable to do much with his opportunities. Perriman was only able to haul in 11 receptions in nine games to start the season and many fans were hoping that he would be cut for a compensatory pick.

While they received a sizable amount of flak from outside sources, the Buccaneers did hold on to Perriman and they were paid off for their decision. In his last five games Perriman had 25 receptions for 506 yards and five touchdowns. In the last five weeks it would be difficult to find a receiver who performed better other than Michael Thomas.

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Unfortunately for the Buccaneers, as soon as players begin to play better their prices go up. Shaquil Barrett had an unreal season and will likely have the Buccaneers on the hook for a decent chunk of money in 2020 and beyond which will take away from the limited available funds that can be used on a WR3.

The Buccaneers will also need to focus their efforts on getting Chris Godwin equally compensated as he was an All-Pro caliber player who is still on his rookie contract. To give a comparison, Perriman made four million this past year while Godwin is set to make less than a million dollars next season.

If Breshad Perriman started this season with a salary of four million dollars, one has to imagine that he will require a salary of at least twice that on a per-season basis after he gets his next contract. The Buccaneers cannot afford to pay a WR3 anything more than they currently are especially with the free agents that they will have to bring back.

The Buccaneers have a plethora of young wide receivers and tight ends that can all step up as viable pass-catchers that will not require the team to break the bank. Scotty Miller seemed to find his stride towards the end of the season before his injury and Justin Watson even showed flashes that inspired some confidence.

While he had a magical end to his season, the Buccaneers can simply not afford to bring Breshad Perriman back at the rate he will demand. There are too many other positions that the Buccaneers have to focus on other than receiver when they already have several cheap options on the roster. Regardless, Perriman gave everything on the last few weeks and was extremely instrumental in the Bucs’ late season run.