Tom Brady returned to a Buccaneers team that was supposed to be in salary cap jail. But in just a matter of days, they’ve freed themselves with some smart accounting.
If only Brady’s former team employed the same kind of urgency. Jason Licht, who used to work under Bill Belichick, deserves all of the credit in the NFL world.
The Buccaneers worked to get under the salary cap by Wednesday’s 4:00 p.m. free agent deadline with a rash of moves. First, they reduced defensive tackle Vita Vea’s base salary of $10.6 million to just $1.12 million, putting the difference towards his signing bonus. That created $7.64 million in space right there.
Then came outside linebacker Shaq Barrett. Tampa Bay restructured his contract to free up just under $10 million in space. On Thursday, the Bucs restructured Mike Evans’ deal, creating more than $10 million in space.
These savings allowed them to bring back Chris Godwin on a three-year deal. Just like that, Brady got his two favorite targets back.
The Buccaneers’ aggression shows how the salary cap can be manipulated. That’s why it’s so frustrating to see the Patriots virtually stand pat and do little to free up more cash. One of the biggest advantages of having a quarterback on his rookie deal is the freedom to spread money elsewhere. Yet, the Patriots aren’t doing that.
There are ways for the Patriots to lessen the blow from last year’s spending spree. They could restructure Matthew Judon’s deal and guarantee more of his base salary, freeing up about $6.6 million and spreading the cap hits beyond 2022. They could also restructure Hunter Henry and save almost $4 million.
Instead, they traded their best offensive lineman to … the Buccaneers.
Brady has spent the last two seasons making Belichick look ridiculous for bidding him farewell. Now, the Buccaneers’ entire operation is putting the Patriots to shame.
