OT: Bucs will keep OJ Howard

[oldrover]

Report: Buccaneers to pick up O.J. Howard's 2021 option - ProFootballTalk

So close to getting him with that fourth-rounder...

 

[RobertWeathers]

Report: Buccaneers to pick up O.J. Howard's 2021 option - ProFootballTalk

So close to getting him with that fourth-rounder...

As others have said they can always rescind it or still trade him.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

They're paying Brate 7M and Gronk 10M. I don't believe this will be tenable keeping all 3 for long.

 

[PatsBoy12]

We should trade a 2021 fourth rounder for Gronk.

 

[NYCPATS4LIFE]

Not surprised. They might run some formations with two tight ends.

 

[Gator Mike]

Someone's not gonna be happy being the 3rd TE.

 

[RobertWeathers]

They're paying Brate 7M and Gronk 10M. I don't believe this will be tenable keeping all 3 for long.

Gronk would be a UFA next year.

 

[Love The Drake]

They have the deepest tight ends in the league.
Maybe TB chose Tampa because he knew he could get Gronk to play there.

 

[Uptown]

They have the deepest tight ends in the league.
Maybe TB chose Tampa because he knew he could get Gronk to play there.

Chicago has a BEAR for TB to hold



I believe it may only be 9 now..

Bears now have 10 tight ends after drafting Kmet

 

[mgteich]

They're paying Brate 7M and Gronk 10M. I don't believe this will be tenable keeping all 3 for long.

It is a matter of how you evaluate positions, The patriots wouldn't pay $20.5M for the TE position or $27M or so the QB position. The costs are fine for Tampa Bay.

For Tampa Bay, Gronk is worth $10M when they are spending over $10M on other TE's.
For the patriots, Gronk wasn't worth $11M (2019) and $12M, even when we didn't have anyone else.
======
The patriots made their decisions in 2019. We can only look back and ask whether we'd rather have Thuney now or Brady. (yes with more dead money in 2022 and 2023). And yes if we had paid Gronk the $3M raise he wanted, we wouldn't have been able to afford AB, with his $10M cost.

And this is NOT hindsight. Many here wanted Brady to be made happy with a 3 year contract, and, of course, then we would have also paid Gronk. But Coach had other ideas.

 

[dex13]

smart move....they can keep Gronk on a load restriction while still running a nasty double TE formation.

 

[Love The Drake]

smart move....they can keep Gronk on a load restriction while still running a nasty double TE formation.

Dang

 

[mgteich]

Report: Buccaneers to pick up O.J. Howard's 2021 option - ProFootballTalk

So close to getting him with that fourth-rounder...

It is a difference in valuation. Tampa Bay was willing trade him, but Howard had more value to them than teams were willing to give. We'd rather have Jenkins than Howard. personally, I suspect that a mid third plus a 6th might have worked, or not. Maybe it truly would have taken a 2nd and pick back. In any case, TB and NE were too far apart.

 

[DropKickFlutie]

If they're smart they'll try to trade Brate or Howard for a starting CB. Secondary is their weakness . Arians has zero use for tight ends going on his 25 year history

 

[captain stone]

No big surprise...Depending on their cap situation, they could wait to trade Brate until right before Week 1, whenever that is...

 

[mgteich]

No big surprise...Depending on their cap situation, they could wait to trade Brate until right before Week 1, whenever that is...

TB has about $5M in cap space. I'm not sure why Brate will be worth more right before Week 1 than he is now, or before the 2020 draft.

 

[carmelo15]

If they're smart they'll try to trade Brate or Howard for a starting CB. Secondary is their weakness . Arians has zero use for tight ends going on his 25 year history

They believe in there CB and they played well the second half of the season

 

[Triumph]

With Gronks injury history not a crazy move.

 

[Nehalem]

So basically Brady went from one of the worst TE groupings to perhaps the deepest group in NFL history.

I think we know why Brady left

 

[Tony2046]

If they're smart they'll try to trade Brate or Howard for a starting CB. Secondary is their weakness . Arians has zero use for tight ends going on his 25 year history

He will now.