NFL free agency is right around the corner, and the two weeks between now and it arriving will surely be filled with plenty of rumors. That's part of what makes this time of year so much fun, as it's a chance for fans to live lavishly in fantasies about who their team could add and what that might mean for the future.
Finding pass rush help will be a priority for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, something that is hardly a secret around the league. Already rumors have been tossed out about the Bucs taking swings like trading for Myles Garrett or Maxx Crosby, which is at the very least flattering to hear.
Realistically it makes less sense than it does as rumor fodder, but it's not a hard train of thought to trace to some level of truth. While the Bucs won't be trading for Garrett, Crosby, or Micah Parsons, the idea of the team making a smart splash to help find an edge rusher makes a lot of sense.
Perhaps that smart splash could be something like adding Khalil Mack to help him go ring hunting in the final years of his Hall of Fame career.
Buccaneers listed as a potential landing spot for Khalil Mack in free agency
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler ran down some of his latest notes after the Combine and one of them involved the Buccaneers and free agent pass rusher Khalil Mack. Fowler reported that he's head from folks around the league who think Mack and the Bucs could be something to keep an eye on as free agency nears.
General manager Jason Licht spoke about how the team isn't planning on spending big in free agency, something Fowler caveats his report with, but this feels too good of a rumor to pass up.
"Teams agree edge rusher Khalil Mack played lights out last season, and the only real concern with his free agency is age (he's 34). A few people I've talked to have made potential connections to the Buccaneers and Bears. Tampa Bay typically doesn't spend big on external free agents but is looking for pass-rush help," Fowler reported.
Mack is easily a fit on a Buccaneers defense that badly needs an upgrade at pass rush. Not only were things less than ideal last season but Tampa Bay could end up losing both Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson this offseason. Those aren't necessarily fatal blows to the team's depth but it does highlight how an already tricky situation isn't going to get better or solve itself.
Adding Mack does a few things for the Bucs, not the least of which is give Todd Bowles another veteran leader. Not only would they be a menace on the field, but pairing Mack with Lavonte David would add an insane amount to Football IQ to the locker room.
On the field the results would speak for themselves. Last year Tampa Bay's pass rush ranked 11th in the league but it was the inopportune times it went to sleep that ended up hurting the team the most. Mack would theoretically fix that, and his arrival would be an endorsement of the team's Super Bowl chances.
Mack doesn't have a lot of years left and he's going to make his next move based on which situation gives him the cleanest shot at winning a ring. If he picks Tampa Bay, that says a lot about how the team is viewed and how dangerous it could be.
More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors