Three players the Buccaneers could target due to Patrick Mahomes’ massive deal
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could take advantage of the massive amount of money the Kansas City Chiefs will be paying QB Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes, who just signed a mega deal worth $450 million over the next 10 years, was the youngest quarterback in the NFL’s history to be named the MVP of a Super Bowl.
While that money was well-earned and expected at some point in the future, the truth of the matter is that the Chiefs will no longer be able to build a team around Mahomes’ minuscule rookie contract. Instead, they’ll have to make do and potentially miss out on other Pro-Bowlers who would’ve been considered at times in the past.
In some ways, the Chiefs’ loss could be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ gain.
The Buccaneers have little cap space to deal with in 2020, but that will be a completely different tale in 2021 when several contracts come off the books and they’re able to restructure some deals.
The result could lead the Buccaneers to targeting three Kansas City Chiefs players to come play alongside Tom Brady during the 2021 season.
Here’s a look at those three players the Bucs could potentially target.
Chris Jones
The Chiefs placed the franchise tag on Chris Jones, but there is some growing skepticism that he could choose to not sign the tag and potentially even sit out the 2020 season.
Jones, a Pro-Bowl defensive tackle, has been one of the top up-and-coming defensive linemen in the league and he is certainly in line for a big deal before it’s all said and done.
If he can’t get a deal done this offseason, there is potential that he’ll be traded before 2021. That being said, the Buccaneers could still throw their hat in the mix if Jones somehow winds up a free-agent (which is certainly possible) next spring.
Ndamukong Suh’s $8 million contract will be off the books and the Bucs could clear up the space to sign Jones to a massive deal and potentially pair him with Shaquil Barrett for one of the best front-seven duos in the league. It would probably come at the cost of losing a Chris Godwin-type player, but is still something the Bucs could consider.
Travis Kelce
We’re not saying this one is likely by any means.
Travis Kelce has made it clear that he wants to stay in Kansas City and that he wants to spend his prime years with Patrick Mahomes.
There has been talks about the Chiefs working out an extension with him and he’s not off the books until after the 2021 season. That being said, if an extension can’t be worked out after this season, the Chiefs could market Kelce’s final year on the trade block as a way to open up some cap space.
The Buccaneers wouldn’t have Rob Gronkowski’s contract on the books anymore and trading for Kelce could work out in the short-term as Tampa Bay looks to contend in Tom Brady’s final year under contract.
It’s not likely that Kelce goes by the wayside, but he is the best tight end in the league currently and you never know what will happen when negotiations begin, especially if he has a big 2020 season.
Tyrann Mathieu
Can you imagine putting Tyrann Mathieu in the Bucs’ defensive backfield?
Pairing Mathieu, an All-Pro safety, with Antoine Winfield Jr. would be an absolute nightmare for opposing offenses and it absolutely could happen.
Let’s be honest here, the Chiefs are going to have to make some room for cap space before the 2021 season. Frank Clark’s cap hit will be right at $25.8 million and Mahomes is slated to make almost $25 million, as well.
Mathieu may be the expendable piece that they eventually have to let go of, not because they want to, but because they have to.
Matthieu is slated to make $19.73 million during the final year of his deal and releasing him would save the Chiefs about $15 million in cap space. If the Bucs wanted to swoop in for one big signing in the secondary, Mathieu certainly could be available as a potential target.
Another interesting choice is Sammy Watkins, a talented wide receiver who has been off-and-on with the Chiefs for a couple of years now. If the Bucs do need to address the WR position, Watkins could be the answer and a nice addition that wouldn’t necessarily break the bank when it’s all said and done.