Tom Brady and the Buccaneers May Soon Have 1 of Their Defensive Stars Return
Tom Brady further cemented his illustrious NFL legacy after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win. Brady has quickly created a franchise-changing impact that has elevated Tampa Bay into a championship-caliber team after years of waffling out of the playoff picture. As the Buccaneers enter the offseason, Brady may have already played a part in helping convince one of the Buccaneers’ star defensive players to return for at least another season.
Tom Brady leads the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl
Tom Brady‘s arrival to the Buccaneers quickly placed Super Bowl expectations onto the franchise.
Brady and Tampa Bay experienced their struggles throughout the 2020 season but buckled down in the playoffs with a dominant run to the Super Bowl. The Buccaneers excelled on both sides of the ball, setting the table for a convincing win in Super Bowl 55 over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tampa Bay now heads into the offseason with some critical questions concerning their class of free agents. With that in mind, Brady may have already played a pivotal part in guiding one of the team’s defensive stars toward a return.
Tom Brady and the Buccaneers may soon have one of their defensive stars return
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are heading into the offseason with plenty of questions concerning their crop of free agents.
Among those players is star defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who is coming off a one-year, $8 million deal. During a recent interview with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, Suh voiced that he has no plans for retirement and has already spoken to Tom Brady about returning to compete for another Super Bowl.
“My goal is to come back and have an opportunity to go win another championship,” Suh said. “Me and Tom [Brady] spoke the other day about that opportunity, as well as with Jason Licht. I don’t know if you saw our parade celebration on that podium, coach [Bruce Arians] said I’m not going anywhere, and he’s usually a man of his word.
“So I look forward to the opportunity to continue to play, especially for Tampa. And I honestly believe I have a lot of elite, great talent left in me to play. I’m not ready to hang them up yet.”
Over the last two seasons, Suh has become a vital part of the Buccaneers’ defensive line. Although he’s no longer recognized as an elite talent at this stage of his career, the 34-year-old is a highly dependable and effective defensive factor.
If Suh is serious about returning to Tampa Bay, it may require him to take another pay cut.
Buccaneers possess other notable free agents this offseason
Ndamukong Suh is one of the many notable players that the Buccaneers need to work out a new contract with this offseason.
Tampa Bay is expected to work diligently to retain as many of its free agents as possible. Other key talents such as Lavonte David, Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, and Rob Gronkowski all require new deals.
The Buccaneers will reportedly have around $27.7 million to utilize this offseason. Tampa Bay may have more cap relief on the way as star wideout Mike Evans has already voiced that he is willing to take a pay cut.
Meanwhile, there is some lingering chatter that the front office may explore talking to Tom Brady about an extension to help lower his 2021 cap hit. The Buccaneers will undoubtedly have other avenues to increase their spending ability this offseason to retain much of their group together.
Contract and salary cap numbers courtesy of Spotrac.
