Monday was the unofficial start of the offseason, as the legal tampering period began and started the clock on NFL Free Agency.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers mostly sat things out, opting to instead take care of in-house items before looking at the open market. Most teams went on a free agent frenzy, with agreements flying around all afternoon. Meanwhile, Jason Licht and the Bucs have been hard at work for the last two weeks trying to hammer out deals with key free agents, a task which was impressively completed before the legal tampering period even began.
With one day of unofficial free agency in the books -- deals can't be made final until Wednesday -- let's look at what the Bucs did and hand out some grades.
Grading the Buccaneers first big moves of 2024 free agency
Franchise tagged Antoine Winfield Jr.
The jury is still out on this, although the mere fact that the Bucs are attempting to extend the window for negotiating with Antoine Winfield Jr. is a positive sign.
It seems like a matter of how much he'll get paid rather than whether a deal will get done before the deadline passes. Tampa Bay has until July 15th to work out a deal with its All-Pro safety, and the tag suggests there's no way he plays the season on anything other than a long-term deal.
Winfield was not only the best defensive player for the Bucs but arguably the team's most valuable player. He saved the season in Week 18 with yet another goal line punch fumble, something he made a habit of doing throughout the year. He posted career highs in just about every meaningful category and firmly established himself as the heart and soul of the defense.
There's almost no chance he gets away, and even a depressed safety market won't prevent him from getting paid what he's owed and resetting the value of his position.
Grade: TBD
Re-signed Mike Evans to two-year, $52M deal
A little over a week ago it seemed like a certainty that Mike Evans would test free agency for the first time in his career. Instead, he agreed to a two-year deal a few days later and will continue his Hall of Famer career in the place where it all started.
Of the Bucs' three big free agents, Evans was always the wild card but he ended up being the first one to re-sign. It's a win-win deal, as Evans gets paid like the top receiver he is but the structure of the deal allows for some flexibility on Tampa Bay's end. While the deal was initially reported as being with $52 million -- which is technically true -- the Bucs are only on the hook for $41 million in base salary.
The other $11 million is tied to incentives, which is the surest sign that Evans both wanted to be back in Tampa Bay and believes in where the team is going. He won't get that money unless he hits performance triggers, which means he's essentially investing his money into the team.
If the Bucs' offense underperforms, Evans won't get paid -- buy-in doesn't get more literal than that.
Additionally, it seems like Evans might have been able to get a bigger deal to play elsewhere but chose to stay in Tampa Bay. It's what he had been hinting at all season but the threat of him leaving was looming larger the closer to the tampering period we got. Evans told his agent that he wants to be a 'Buc for Life', and while a nice new contract helps make it happen in practice, hearing him say that remains priceless to fans.
Grade: A+
Re-signed Baker Mayfield to three-year, $100M deal
This might be the best deal the Buccaneers have made so far, as it's already aged phenomenally based on what happened elsewhere in the league.
Had Baker Mayfield tested free agency the Atlanta Falcons were reportedly interested in trying to pry him away from Tampa Bay. Not long after the legal tampering period opened Kirk Cousins was handed a $180 million contract to come to Atlanta and try to be the team's missing piece.
Cousins is getting $100 million guaranteed, and this is coming off a year where he missed most of the season with a torn Achilles. Baker, who played all 17 games and led the Bucs to the NFC Divisional Round, got half of that guaranteed money and $65 million less. The deal for Cousins in Atlanta has an extra year on it, but his AAV is still higher than Baker's, and Tampa Bay arguably still has the best quarterback in the NFC South.
In fact, Baker -- who went to the Pro Bowl this year -- is on the cheapest non-rookie deal among quarterbacks in the division. Cousins is due for $45 million AAV and the Saints are paying Derek Carr $37.5 million AAV; Baker is due for $33.3 million AAV which can inflate an extra $5 million with incentives.
Tampa Bay also avoided getting into a potential bidding war for Mayfield which is worth the price of the deal alone. He needs to back it up on the field again, but this Baker is once again looking like one of the best signings of the offseason.
Grade: A+
Carlton Davis III traded to Lions
Tampa Bay didn't dip its toes into free agent waters on the first day of the tampering period, but it did make a splashy move that subtracted from the roster.
Carlton Davis III was traded to the Detroit Lions after a week of growing speculation that he could be dealt. It's a blow to the defense, as the team's top cornerback on paper is now wearing a different uniform, but it's a move that could open up an even brighter future for the Bucs.
Detroit sent back one of its third round picks in this year's draft -- pick No. 92 -- which means the Bucs now have four selections in the first three rounds. Upgrading the interior offensive line remains an unaddressed task, but the free agent market has quickly grown a little rich for Tampa Bay's blood. That could mean this extra draft capital will be used to help fix things upfront by dipping into a deep and talented lineman class.
Cornerback was already a need even with Davis on the roster, and it now becomes an even bigger area to address now that he's gone. The Bucs have even more flexibility in the draft to go defense with its first pick and still circle back to take an offensive lineman or two later on Day 2.
Trading Davis also cleared all $14 million of his contract from the books. Tampa Bay created $6 million in cap space this year and $8 million next year, which suggests a potential move in free agency. While there's been a run on running backs and offensive linemen, cornerbacks remain largely untouched and the Bucs could use some of the newly created space to grab a veteran replacement while drafting someone as well thus adding two new cornerbacks for the price of one.
Grade: B+
Re-signed Chase Edmonds to two-year deal
Before the day was done the Bucs managed to sneak one more deal in. Tampa Bay reached an agreement to re-sign Chase Edmonds, who figures to once again be the team's RB2 behind Rachaad White.
Edmonds missed a large chunk of last season with an injury, but he's someone the team clearly believes in. He finished the season with under 200 yards in 13 games, but Jason Licht mentioned him among the players he'd throw another boat parade for if he ended up re-signing.
Todd Bowles said at the NFL Combine that he'd like to see the Bucs add another running back, which could mean this isn't the last addition to the backfield. There are still interesting names available, most notably AJ Dillon who seems to be a fit, but whoever comes to Tampa Bay will have Edmonds in the room with them to help gameplan each week.
Grade: B-
Released Russell Gage
This one stings, and there's no real way to grade it without being gauche, but it releasing Russell Gage was a pretty notable move the Bucs made on the first day of free agency.
Gage missed all of last season after suffering a brutal leg injury in training camp, and as the season went on he was seemingly pushed out of the plans. The emergence of Trey Palmer rendered Gage expendable and the money the Bucs saved releasing him sealed his fate.
By declining the option on his deal, the Bucs shed what would have been $10 million in salary, and created around $6 million in cap space. That, combined with the Carlton Davis trade, means the Bucs have roughly $12 million in additional space to go out and make a move with.
This could be used as part of getting a deal done with Antoine Winfield Jr., or it could be a precursor to the Bucs making a move in free agency. As the first day of the tampering window came to an end, Tampa Bay was the only team that didn't make an external agreement, but after cutting Gage that could be about to change.
Grade: N/A
Re-signed Greg Gaines to one-year deal
Lost in the shuffle of the midday madness that broke out across the league was the Bucs bringing back a key piece of their defensive line depth. Greg Gaines is back on a one-year, $3.5 million deal which is the same exact contract he signed last season when coming over from the Los Angeles Rams.
It's not the flashiest of moves, but Gaines returning will provide some nice continuity on defense and some extra depth. The Bucs are expected to look at edge rushers in the draft but the interior of the line might not get much attention. Gaines coming back doesn't prevent the team from making moves there but it also means there's some insurance in case they don't.
Grade: C+
Re-signed Chase McLaughlin to a three-year deal
Tampa Bay started its day by bringing back kicker Chase McLaughlin on a three-year deal that gives him a rather significant pay raise.
McLaughlin won a training camp battle last year with Rodrigo Blankenship, and went on to be one of the most accurate kickers the Bucs have had in a while. He finished the season with the highest kicking percentage of his career, making 93.5 percent while hitting seven field goals from 50-yards or more.
That last bit is important, as long distance kicking is what the Bucs were looking for when they moved on from Ryan Succop last year and McLaughlin delivered. He simply doesn't miss when it counts, at least he didn't last season, and the Buccaneers are betting on him continuing that success by locking him in for the next three years.
Grade: A