Buccaneers Expected to Part Ways With Numerous Veteran Free Agents

The direction the Buccaneers take this offseason will depend heavily on the decision of Tom Brady, but either way, there will be plenty of new faces next season.

It's not surprising that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to move on from a number of veteran free agents on the roster. This is what happens when a team kicks money down the line in order to extend their window of contention. 

It's something the New Orleans Saints have been doing for years. Eventually though, after a team has opted to go this route, and once they have decided that it's time to navigate back to the straight-and-narrow, they are then forced to make tangible moves in order to begin the process of getting within a reasonable salary cap threshold. More often than not, mass layoffs — or roster cuts, as we say in the NFL — are required in order to achieve this. 

Whether or not the Buccaneers will enter a mass layoff situation will depend almost solely on the decision of Tom Brady, and whether or not he has any intention of returning to Tampa Bay. Beyond that, if Brady moves on, there is a possibility that Jason Licht finds a way to bring in a competent starting quarterback via trade or free agency, which in theory, could compel the Bucs to keep more players in hopes of extending their window, even with Brady out of the picture. 

READ MORE: Report: Buccaneers' Players Suspect Tom Brady Has Made Decision in Tampa Bay

That said, with the team expected to be $55.45 million over the projected salary cap, roster cuts are going to be a part of the equation regardless. 

Rick Stroud, of the Tampa Bay Times, recently released an article containing a list of players he expects the Buccaneers to move on from no matter what Tampa Bay decides to do at the quarterback position. 

Tom Brady, Jamel Dean lead list of free agents for salary cap-strapped Bucs https://t.co/GJYwwJNzB8

— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) January 22, 2023

Stroud outlines the organization's desire to re-sign players like Jamel Dean, Lavonte David, and of course, Tom Brady, before diving into those he does not expect to be retained. He titled this portion of the article "End of the Road". 

The list of offensive players he expects to be done in Tampa includes veteran pass catchers, Julio Jones, Breshad Perriman, Scotty Miller, and Kyle Rudolph. He also expects the Buccaneers to move on from running back, Giovani Bernard, and injured swing-tackle, Josh Wells.

On the defensive side of the ball, safeties Keanu Neal and Logan Ryan are both listed, in addition to linebacker, J.J. Russell, and defensive linemen, Genard Avery and Deadrin Senat. 

I think Stroud does a good job forecasting players who will more than likely be on their way out of Tampa Bay. That said, if Brady were to return, I could see Keanu Neal and Logan Ryan both being retained. I think both players showed flashes of production — despite dealing with injuries at various points of the season — that could provide quality depth, and be useful to the Buccaneers' defense if they are truly aspiring to contend next season.

READ MORE: Former Teammate Will Join Tom Brady If He Returns to New England

There will be changes. In fact, there may be a lot of them. As the offseason churns forward, we'll get a clearer picture of what Buccaneers' GM, Jason Licht, and his staff, have planned for this roster.

Bucs fans are probably exhausted from waiting around on Tom Brady to make a decision, and ultimately determine the direction that their team will be headed. But for now, they don't have much choice in the matter. There's no doubt that Brady's decision will have a direct impact on how this front-office chooses to proceed this offseason.

On the most recent episode of the Bucs Banter Podcast, Josh Queipo, Cap Analyst for Pewter Report, joined the show to detail some of the players the Buccaneers' could consider moving on from in order to improve their salary cap situation. 

You can watch that interview in its entirety here:

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