While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to land a pair of pretty big signings on the first day of free agency, the team didn't get everything on its wish list. It's tough to be mad about a haul that includes Chris Godwin and Haason Reddick, but the Bucs missed out on a few names the team had been pretty heavily linked to in recent weeks.
Khalil Mack burst the bubble right away in the morning, agreeing to return to the Los Angeles Chargers on a $18 million deal. That's a little rich for Tampa Bay's blood, and the team countered with a cheaper offer to Reddick for the same amount of years.
Charvarius Ward had been mentioned as a potential target for the Bucs as well, one who would help the team replace Jamel Dean if the decision was made to move on. So far that call hasn't come, and if it does Ward will no longer be on the board.
If Ward does come to Tampa Bay, it will be in an Indianapolis Colts uniform.
Buccaneers miss out on Charvarius Ward, but it was worth the risk
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Colts and Ward had agreed to a three-year, $60 million deal in free agency, which feels a little like what the Bucs went through in coping for the missed opportunity with Mack.
Ward's deal is the same length but $6 million cheaper than what the Bucs ended up giving Godwin to return. Tampa Bay had more cap room than it's had in recent years, and Mike Greenberg has proven to be a salary wizard, but it's unlikely the team would have been able to fit $120 million on the books between two players and still find ways to improve the roster.
If only one deal for $60 million could be handed out, the Bucs gave it to the right player. Ward is fantastic and would have done wonders to upgrade the secondary, but Godwin is the more valuable player to the team in more than one way.
The Bucs also still have Dean, which is worth noting. An expectation heading into this week was that the he'd either be released to save cap space or traded for a draft pick. Both things can still happen, but not being able to replace Dean with Ward might alter the trajectory of what the plan is there.
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