TRADE: Texans Acquiring G Shaq Mason From Buccaneers

Ian Rapoport says the deal is for a late-round pick swap, which makes sense as Tampa Bay would have cut Mason if no trade partner had emerged. The Texans will send a sixth to the Buccaneers in exchange for Mason and a seventh. 

Tampa Bay just traded for Mason last season and he was solid as a starting guard for them. But they needed the cap space. 

Houston has a need at guard and the money to take on Mason’s deal. 

Mason, 30, is a former fourth-round pick of the Patriots back in 2015. He was in the final year of his four-year, $2,723,524 contract when he agreed to a five-year extension worth up to $50 million with the team.

Mason’s contract with New England included $23.5 million guaranteed and close to $30 million paid out over the first three years of the contract. New England traded Mason to the Buccaneers for a fifth-round pick in 2022. 

He was due to make base salaries of $6.5 million and $7.5 million over the final two years of his deal, but the Buccaneers wound up restructuring his deal back in September of 2022 to create $6 million in cap space.

In 2022, Mason appeared in and started in 17 games for the Buccaneers at right guard. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 21 guard out of 77 qualifying players.