Reports from various media outlets and sources have said the NFL Owners have gotten together in Chicago and agreed in principle on meeting the players half way on issues that will more than likely end this lockout very soon. If your the kind of person who sets your alarm clock for midnight March 1st to catch the first few big Free Agency pickups in the NFL, well you are going to be in for the time of your life next month.
The Owners are now headed to Boston to meet with Players, at which point only minor details are to be ironed out. The big stuff, the division of money, seems to be already settled, and Free Agency is going to be a product of those agreements.
For starters, its believed that teams are going to HAVE to spend 90% of the cap, which means most NFL Teams will need to spend a lot of money just to be in compliance. This would almost surely include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who spent well below what was the cap floor last year. Then you have the definition of what a Free Agent is, and its going back to pre-2010 standards where 4 years is all you need to be an UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENT. This means the Bucs will have several players instantly become free agents as soon as this deal is signed, and GM Mark Dominik will have to make a decision to re-sign or let go of these players, or choose from the plethora of available talent from other teams that will suddenly become available when the agreement is implemented soon.
I would estimate the beginning period will start July 1st although no mention of this has been made yet, its simply the logical date I can come to conclusion on knowing the NFL penchant for even dates regarding such things.
With each team HAVING more money to spend, and many teams REQUIRED to spend more money, and in addition the tremendous amount of players who will now be available as being Unrestricted Free Agents, this free agency period will be fast paced and more than likely will eat up the largest segment of sporting news reports. It could be as massive as a signing or two every hour for the first few days.
Now the following Bucs were assumed to be Free Agents under the 6 year rule;
- G Davin Joseph
- LB Quincy Black
- OT Jeremy Trueblood
- LB Barrett Ruud
- RB Carnell Cadillac Williams
However, with the old rules of 4 years coming back into play, these Bucs will ALSO be UNRESTRICTED Free Agents;
- DE Tim Crowder
- TE John Gilmore
- LB Adam Hayward
- WR Michael Spurlock
- WR Maurice Stovall
- DE Stylez White
The latter list is slightly less crucial, as the Bucs have made comments on several of these players that they will be allowed to move on.
The Bucs drafted two Tight Ends and may not feel the need to keep TE John Gilmore at an elevated rate this expanded Free Agency Period will surely entail.
DE Stylez White is another player who probably has played his last days in a Buc uniform. Once considered a player with immeasurable potential, his sack totals continue to decline and the Bucs have filled out DE positions via high draft picks. WR Maurice Stovall has had every opportunity in the world to display his potential as a WR but continues to fail to do so. With the dawning of a brilliant era of WRs in Tampa Bay such as Mike Williams, Arrelious Benn, Sammie Stroughter and Dezmon Briscoe, Trueblood will have to get past fellow free agent Michael Spurlock first, which may not be so easy.
LB Adam Hayward is seen as an up and coming linebacker who has paid his dues on the field as special teams similar to former Superbowl linebacker Shelton Quarles. With the addition of Tyrone McKenzie who has impressed Bucs coaches immensely, and drafted LB Mason Foster, None of the 2010/2009 starters are safe.
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