Last offseason, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went on an early spending spree. And they’ve begun to do the same thing this offseason. On Wednesday, the Buccaneers agreed to terms on a five-year, $41.25 million deal with safety Dashon Goldson, formerly of the San Francisco 49ers. The deal includes $22 million in guaranteed money, according to a league source.
The move means that the Buccaneers immediately improved their secondary, as Goldson was an integral part of the 49ers’ defense, racking up 69 tackles and three interceptions last season. Goldson, who will likely be paired with Mark Barron in the secondary, was on the Buccaneers’ radar for a while.
“We had our eyes on him for a while, and certainly when you watch his tape, you see as a coach the things you want in your safety,” head coach Greg Schiano said Wednesday at Goldson’s introductory press conference.
With the signing, it became apparent that the Buccaneers did, in fact, make bolstering the secondary, which finished last in the NFL last season, a priority.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers also agreed to terms with linebacker Jonathan Casillas on a one-year deal worth up to $3 million, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported. With uncertainty surrounding Buccaneers linebacker Quincy Black, who is still recovering from a severe neck injury, the move to sign Casillas makes sense.
Then of course, there’s Darrelle Revis and the latest surrounding the league’s best cornerback. The New York Jets want to move Revis, but the Buccaneers currently are the only team heavily interested in him, according to a source. This is problematic for the Jets, as they need another team to be interested in Revis in order to drive his price up. The Jets want to pry a decent first-round pick away from the Buccaneers, or a different team, which is why they need the competition.
Yahoo! Sports reported that the Buccaneers are reluctant to give up their first-round pick in this year’s draft, but may be willing to trade their 2014 first rounder.
As a result of the soft market for Revis, the Jets have slightly “cooled” on their desire to immediately deal him, a source said. However, Revis will earn a $1 million bonus if he is still on the Jets’ roster Saturday.
On the Buccaneers’ side, as of Thursday, they’ve become increasingly optimistic that the Jets will eventually drop their demands for a 2013 first-round pick and will instead settle on a first-round pick in next year’s draft, according to a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking.
These developments have many believing that Revis will be moved by Friday, but that’s far from certain. Right now, though, no deal is imminent and a lot still has to happen for a deal to go down.
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