Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Scotty Miller was introduced as the newest member of the Atlanta Falcons but made time to shout out his old team.
The offseason giveth and the offseason taketh away. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to retain Jamel Dean and Lavonte David — as well as adding Baker Mayfield and Chase Edmonds — those moves had a cost beyond the salaries being paid.
Not everyone who hit free agency was able to be brought back by the Buccaneers. Sean Murphy-Bunting, Mike Edwards, and Keanu Neal all departed for new teams on cheap deals, and guys like Lavonte David and Cameron Brate were cap casualties.
Wide receiver Scotty Miller is among those Buccaneers free agents departing this offseason.
Miller signed with the Falcons, taking his talents to Atlanta and to an offense that desperately needs the sort of skills he provides in the slot. He had some good years with the Bucs, especially the moment he gave us in the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers.
However, he wasn’t able to replicate the success he had that season and unfortunately fell behind some great talent on the depth chart. Had he returned to the Bucs, it would have been a salary cap hurdle for the front office to clear and a tricky situation for him to reinsert himself into knowing that nothing much would change in terms of his playing time.
That doesn’t mean he’s leaving Tampa Bay with any ill feelings toward the team or its fans.
Scotty Miller sends a message to Buccaneers during Falcons press conference
While speaking with Falcons media for the first time, Miller made sure to shout out the Buccaneers and everything they did for him during his career in Tampa Bay.
Scotty Miller, talking to Falcons reporters today after signing with Atlanta: "I'm really forever grateful that the Bucs took a chance on me, selected me in the sixth round. It's never been easy, as a sixth-round pick, you're not guaranteed anything, so I had to grind it out."
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) March 30, 2023
Losing Miller is tough because it represents the true closing of a chapter. He was drafted back in 2019 and was here for the last season of the Dark Ages and then was a huge impact player for the Super Bowl season with Tom Brady. Guys like Cameron Brate and Donovan Smith were also members of the old guard who survived to see the team reach championship heights who, like Miller, are also gone.
It’s bittersweet, as Miller was beloved by fans but he wasn’t going to get the playing time he deserves. This feels adjacent to when Adam Humphries left for Tennessee and did for the Titans what Bucs fans fell in love watching him do in Tampa Bay.
The only difference is the Titans aren’t a division rival.
Of course, no matter how he plays against the Buccaneers while with the Falcons, nothing will be able to sour this moment or make it any less enjoyable.
Scotty Miller will always be a Bucs legend for that NFC Championship Game touchdown in Green Bay. pic.twitter.com/tY4Y12yS5H
— Josh Hill (@jdavhill) March 28, 2023
We will always have the 2020 NFC Championship Game, and nothing can take that away from Miller or Bucs fans.