Why Monday is an important date for the Buccaneers as it relates to keeping Mike Evans, other standouts

This upcoming Monday wouldn’t be considered an important date on most NFL calendars, but One Buccaneer Place has had Feb. 19 circled for some time.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could save around $11 million against the 2024 salary cap if they can somehow agree to contract extensions with quarterback Baker Mayfield, wide receiver Mike Evans and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. by Monday afternoon.

Here’s why: Each of those key players have void years in their contracts to help with previous cap situations. While all are, in reality, pending free agents, their future fake years automatically void Feb. 19. That means that money that was pushed out into future years would come due against the 2024 salary cap. But if deals can be reached before Monday afternoon, that money can be saved against this upcoming season’s salary cap and pushed out into future years.

According to sources, it is improbable that all three would get deals done with the Bucs in the coming days. Winfield Jr. appears destined for the franchise tag at around $18.2 million next month unless the two sides can reach an agreement on a long-term contract that would pay the first-team All-Pro safety top-of-the-market money. The Winfield savings on a pre-Monday deal would be less than $1.2 million against the cap, so it’s not a huge deal for the Bucs.

Mayfield could get a deal done by that soft deadline, but the savings aren’t immense there, either. The Bucs would save $1.725 million against the 2024 cap if he gets a deal done in the coming days.

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Author : Jonathan Jones

Publish date : 2024-02-16 18:35:27

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