Tom Brady is back with the Buccaneers! Now, let’s protect him like we did last year.
The Buccaneers are back in business as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The addition of one player makes all the difference in the world when that player is a quarterback and Tom Brady.
The rightful MVP from the 2021 season didn’t last long in free agency, and none of us will complain about that. This just saves us from a world where we had to watch a mediocre quarterback waste the massive talent on the rest of the roster.
With Brady back, the free agent market for the Bucs has changed dramatically, and we saw that on display last night as center Ryan Jensen was able to come to terms with a deal to stay in Tampa for the next three years.
As others have reported, center Ryan Jensen's new deal with Bucs is three years, $39 million, including $23 million fully guaranteed. Nice bump from the $10.5m per year on his last deal. Tom Brady has his center back.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 14, 2022
The Buccaneers need to protect Tom Brady
The Buccaneers may be tight on cap space, but even they know how important keeping Brady’s jersey clean is. Ryan Jensen is easily one of the best centers in the league right now, and it looks like he took a team-friendly approach to his deal.
These are the benefits of having Tom Brady back.
Let’s be honest; Tampa has never been a major free agent destination without Brady. The Buccaneers are a smaller-market team, the rosters have rarely been great, and coming to Tampa usually meant a payday above all else.
With Brady, that entire notion has changed.
While Jensen looked like he could’ve gone to a team with a better shot at winning and to make more money, Tom Brady returning showed that staying in Tampa was the best opportunity to for success.
The free agent market will still be far more difficult for the Buccaneers this year than it was last season, but the front office finding a way to keep Ryan Jensen is an excellent amuse-bouche for what is going to start later today.
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