Hardly any time was wasted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in getting a jump on the NFL Free Agency frenzy. In the span of less than a few minutes, the team struck deals with both Chris Godwin and Haason Reddick, which is one heck of a way to kick off an important offseason for a potential Super Bowl contender.
Addressing pass rush was among the team's top priorities, as was finding a way to re-sign Chris Godwin. Both of those things happened, but the Bucs didn't stop there -- or did they?
Following a brief lull in action, it was reported that the Buccaneers had turned their attention to adding key running back depth to help ensure the run game took another step forward. That report came from NFL insider Aaron Wilson, who passed along word that the team had signed Samaje Perine to a massive new deal. The only catch was that it didn't happen.
Jason Licht denies report that Buccaneers signed Samaje Perine
Not only was the report shot down by beat writers, but Jason Licht took to social media to deny the signing.
The deal didn't pass the initial smell test, even though it came from a trusted source. What didn't add up was the money; Tampa Bay paying over $22 million for a third or fourth running back made no sense at all, even if the idea of Perine in the backfield seemed like a decent enough idea.
To be fair, adding Perine wouldn't be a bad move but he'd be relegated to the role Chase Edmonds had while he was in Tampa Bay. It's been made pretty clear over the last few weeks that the stable of backs the Bucs have now is what the team wants to move forward with, specifically with Sean Tucker taking on a bigger role in the future.
Perhaps the Bucs did bring Perine in, but the did so in another universe where Rachaad White was either released or traded away. In that scenario it would make sense for Tampa Bay to add a veterean running back to replace White while elevating the roles of Irving and Tucker -- but that universe isn't this one.
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