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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have retained their entire starting unit of 22 players from the Super Bowl championship team, a move unprecedented in the modern age. The biggest caveat, however, remains unsigned.
Wideout Antonio Brown is the only man left on Bucs’ list of notable free agents still in the market. It doesn’t look like a resolution is coming in the short term unless Brown is willing to take less dollars to come back.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Thursday on Hello football that the Bucs and Brown discussed a possible comeback this week, including money, but noted “they’re not close right now” in terms of their financial situation.
“They want to bring him back, the Bucs are doing it, just at a different number than he has in mind right now,” Garafolo said.
Brown played eight regular season games last season, generating 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns. He added eight catches for 81 yards and two scores in three playoff games played.
Brown still has lingering legal issues that are unlikely to be resolved in the near term. The NFL has said it reserves the right to suspend Brown again if new information in the lawsuit comes to light.
The 32-year-old earned $ 2 million for his half-season last year. According to Garafolo, the Bucs would like to bring him back around that number, but AB would like something closer to market value.
The Bucs aren’t the only team to have registered Brown. Garafolo added that the fan has also attracted interest from other teams, but at this point clubs aren’t throwing money in their own way.
Like many veteran players in a hurry during this year’s salary cap tightening, it’s clear Brown hasn’t received the offers he thinks he’s worth at this point. He may have to wait another offseason to find the desired contract.
The Bucs already have a ton of money stuck in the receiver position. Mike Evans has a cap of $ 16.64 million and Chris Godwin plays on a franchise tag of $ 15.983 million. Waiting for Brown and hoping that no other team is willing to increase their offer seems to be Tampa’s game at this point.
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