Bucs Salary Cap Is In Trouble Again 

According to OverTheCap, the Bucs 2023 rookie class will account for a $9,161,270 cap hit in 2023. However, because of the league’s Top 51 salary rule, they will displace the bottom eight contacts on the roster and ultimately account for just $3,161,270 this season.

While that is a positive, they still need to find a way to open enough Bucs salary cap space to not only fit the rookie salaries in, but also have to finish rounding out the roster. 

With just 87 players on the roster, the Bucs have three open spots. They still have a need for a third quarterback, as well as potential veteran help at offensive tackle, safety and cornerback. Tampa Bay will also need to have money left over for practice squad contracts, as well as emergency funds to sign players in-season should injuries arise or quality players become available to upgrade the roster. 

Options To Create Bucs Salary Cap Space Are Limited

The options to open up Bucs salary cap space are limited. One way they could do so is by extending the contract of inside linebacker Devin White, but that seems unlikely any time soon as his trade request was made public. General manager Jason Licht has said the team has no plans to trade him, and with the draft over it seems even less likely now.

The other route the team could take to create Bucs salary cap room is to restructure the contract of outside linebacker Shaq Barrett. Though this is unlikely as well with the two-time Pro Bowler is coming off a serious Achilles injury and on the wrong side of 30. Without extending White or restructuring Barrett the only play the team has left is extending the contract of wide receiver Mike Evans, or doing an early contract extension with offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs – even though Tampa Bay just picked up his fifth-year option for 2024. 

Evans is no stranger to restructuring his contact and has done so several times over the last few seasons. An extension on his current deal would free up just over $10 million. Evans currently has void years set to run through the 2026 season, and any extension would add to those numbers.

That’s enough to sign the team’s eight draft selections and potentially add a few other veteran pieces to the roster. And it would leave enough money for practice squad player salaries and any emergency signings needed for the season.

While the team doesn’t necessarily need to get their draft picks under contract anytime soon, there is a need for the Bucs salary cap situation to get rectified sooner rather than later to have roster flexibility as the offseason continues to ramp up.