Tyrann Mathieu, Rashaan Melvin Sign Cheap
March 17th, 2018
Where has the burning desire to entertain gone?
Where’s the insatiable urge to collect elite talent like Joe collects Hooters receipts?
Where’s Jason Licht’s biscuit?
A high-flash, high-ceiling young defensive free agent, crazy-talented cornerback/safety Tyrann Mathieu, joined the Texans late yesterday. It’s just a one-year deal for $7 million.
Mathieu would have looked fantastic in a Buccaneers uniform. And just a month ago, before his cash-related release from the Cardinals, he was Twittering about his made respect for new Bucs defensive line coach Brentson Buckner. The former “Honey Badger,” Mathieu, still just 25 years old, worked with Buckner and Bucs general manager Jason Licht in Arizona.
Joe’s not blasting anyone here. Mathieu might have wanted no part of the Bucs. Perhaps he watched their defensive film last year.
Joe’s frustrated because, like every fan, Joe wants as many sexy and sensible upgrades to the Bucs roster as possible — before the draft. The Bucs still have money available.
Mathieu on a one-year deal would have been one hell of a shot in the arm.
Chucky and the Raiders also inked former Buccaneers cornerback Rashaan Melvin to a one-year deal worth $6.5 million yesterday. Melvin, 28, thrives in man defense, is a very eager tackler and can play anywhere in the secondary, former Bucs GM Mark Dominik detailed on SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday. Melvin had a breakout season with the Colts last year.
Joe going to go out on a limb and say Melvin is a better option that Ryan Smith.
There’s still time for more wheeling and dealing to improve the Bucs. But the list of quality names is thinning fast.
March 17th, 2018 at 9:55 am
Not really upset about missing out on Mathieu. Kinda injury prone and we already have a free safety in Justin Evans. We need a strong safety.
March 17th, 2018 at 9:56 am
They wanted to play for “contenders”, Joe.
-Sligthly concerned Bucs fan
March 17th, 2018 at 9:57 am
Players have to want to play here… honestly with how pathetic this team is would you want to play here? When was the last time we had a coach that won a Superbowl? Oh yeah he was here we put his number in our ring of honor and we still didn’t land him this year. I guess coaches don’t want to coach here either. We can’t get to the quarter back we can’t stop the pass and all we have done is improve the offense so far. Maybe they will sign another receiver or another QB. This organization has let so many corners and defensive line guys sign elsewhere why would the honey badger be any different.
March 17th, 2018 at 9:57 am
Im still holding out hope for EJ Gaines. As stupid as it might sound.
March 17th, 2018 at 9:59 am
Ryan Smith is Joe’s punching bag now, I’m not saying Smith is the next coming of Revis, or even Brent Grimes, but that was literally his rookie season at corner last year after a coaching staff that likes to experiment. I thought he improved over the last few games, it wasn’t him that gave up two touchdowns on special teams, which is why those game were as close as they were. We blamed Swaggy for jumping offsides, but the ST coach still has his job, mmmm
March 17th, 2018 at 10:10 am
Joe is to Smith as TMax is to McCoy. Relentless. I’m not saying Smith is stellar but he’s young and talented learning on the job in the NFL. Continued trashing of him by a Bucs fan blog is just wrong.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:10 am
RRSRQ
On Ryan Smith: who knows what we have in the kid. Hard to play CB/S effectively behind the 32nd ranked pass rush.
-Slightly Concerned Bucs fan
March 17th, 2018 at 10:12 am
Sign Gaines to a 2 year deal I’m not sold on him
March 17th, 2018 at 10:15 am
I am done with this team Joe ….this is a classic case of conspiracy to pollute the fan base market in Tampa Bay by ownership to take the team to England…. I bet if the Buccaneers start the season off with wins ….Jameis will get suspended….Conspiracy….C.. O.. N….SPIRACY. #A probe should be launched…. First No Chucky, No Quality Free Agents….#I gurantee you a sucky draft…..
March 17th, 2018 at 10:15 am
Anybody think the bills or browns would trade for Djax? Godwin looks like he’s gonna make him expendable.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:17 am
Why does everyone want to get rid of DJax? You need a QB that can hit the long ball. Hopefully the two of them working out during this off season will pay dividends this year.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:23 am
We could still bring in DL Vinny Curry
March 17th, 2018 at 10:26 am
I think Gaines, Curry and a vet RB finishes a reasonable offseason.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:27 am
@Scotty because Godwin is a fast deep threat. Plus I think it would be easier to replace a receiver then some of the other positions we need help at.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:28 am
Would like to see Smith play CB with a pass rush and a QB running for his life. The secondary always looks better when a QB doesn’t have 5-6 seconds to read through his progressions.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:29 am
DADE CITY
You “guarantee” a poor draft? Lol. Put the tin foil down, my guy.
-Slightly Concerned Bucs fan
March 17th, 2018 at 10:30 am
Clearly Jason Licht has no intentions to improve the defense. Many many Free Agency opportunities Missed. Instead he’d rather sign 1 year wonders like Michael Johnson and Robert Ayers instead of players with a proven track record.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:38 am
Curry and Gaines would be a great additions
March 17th, 2018 at 10:43 am
I’d like to see us sign:
EJ GAINES or BRASHAUD BREELAND
AND
SONNY VACARRO OR TRE BOSTON
If the above is done, we’re set for the draft, though adding Vinny Curry as well would be cool
March 17th, 2018 at 10:55 am
Get some boys who can breathe on a qb/create a pass rush and that will help the secondary out tremendously… That and said cb’s not playing 10 yards off of the receivers. Sign curry. Watch Chubb drop to the Bucs. Get rid of gholsten. Draft rb in the second and best defensive player available from the third on.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:57 am
Who is Sonny Vaccaro? Did you mean Sonny Bono?
March 17th, 2018 at 10:58 am
Which is it….our coaches can’t develop a CB……or the CB simply isn’t that talented….or both?
Mathieu…..stated he wanted to play for a team with a “Winning Culture”…..I know the Bucs don’t match that description….but I’m not sure the Texans do either.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:58 am
We aren’t a good team with a staff and front office whose jobs are on the line. Nobody will sign here unless they get overpaid
March 17th, 2018 at 11:01 am
My bet is the honey badger wouldn’t have come to the Bucs unless they dropped 10 mill and a multi year deal in his lap. We just do not have the cache right now with the playoff drought and the looming Winston situation, coupled with the lame duck status of the coaches and GM.
Having said that…
DAMN this was an unprecedented year for under 27 years old All Pro talent being made available on the cheap. It really would have been nice for the Bucs to grab one of those guys.
But… Rome was not built in a day.
The Bucs cannot fix everything properly in a single offseason.
Focus on the most important aReas…
FIX THE TRENCHES, FIX THE BUCS!!
March 17th, 2018 at 11:16 am
I really would’ve liked the Bucs signing Mathieu. The Bucs or the Saints should’ve been at the top of his list. The Texans will be out for the year with injuries just like the Cardinals was. Lmao😂😂😂
March 17th, 2018 at 11:29 am
Wow this fan base make excuse for mediocrity it okay to pay 5&6 million on career backups but 7 million is to much for pro bowler. Its so easy to slight of hand you people fake like you fixing the team but you not
March 17th, 2018 at 11:43 am
I agree the honey badger would have looked good in pewter and if healthy could have really helped to shore up our secondary.
Not sure I understand the decision to pass on him for the more than fair price of $7M.
March 17th, 2018 at 11:48 am
Bucs comeback player of the year R Smith!! Make plays baby! I believe in Ryan!!
March 17th, 2018 at 11:54 am
Free Agents want to play for teams they figure got a chance to do something. Most don’t think our Bucs do. Injury prone or not, Mathieu is a ball hawk. He’s always in on a play, makin plays or knocking the socks off of somebody. We needed that. We needed his energy/enthusiasm. HE inspires others and makes them play better. We need that. But..we be movin on..as usual. Marching towards the light of….Losing Gallipolli.
March 17th, 2018 at 11:56 am
Who wouldn’t want to go play for a team led by Deshaun Watson
March 17th, 2018 at 12:19 pm
What is pathetic is how little this board and even Joe understand about the salary cap. This year’s class of free agents is littered with has beens and overpriced underperformers. It’s not that we lost out on these guys; it’s that we never even bid on them and most of them will be out of the league within 2-3 years. We have a top ten offense (even without any running game. The expectation is that we will be a top five offense next year. We couldn’t stop the run or the pass last year, so seeing that the defensive end garbage that was out there in free agency, we decided to sign the two best run stoppers. Yes, we have work to do to fix the secondary and the defensive pass rush (which a better line coach will help). There are many issues with which this board is unfamiliar that play into the selection of free agents not least of which is TEAM CHEMISTRY. We signed Evans and Brate and will likely re-up Alexander before next year. We are building a strong nucleus for years to come. There are no quick fixes. If you look at Pittsburgh and New England, you don’t see them playing this Free Agent crap shoot. They sign their star players and build team chemistry. What has Carolina and Atlanta done in Free agency. Basically nothing. Licht has a plan; you may not like it, but it’s a definite plan. The players we’ve signed so far are high character and improve some of our weaknesses, and it’s not over yet.
March 17th, 2018 at 12:19 pm
He said he didn’t care about money he wanted to go somewhere and win!!!! That’s the difference between Watson and Winston!
March 17th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
Another thing—the Buccaneers look to take a cornerback, a running back, and two defensive ends in the first four rounds of the draft. We have two better-than-average linebackers and a really promising young safety. In today’s NFL there are no perfect rosters. Every team has needs and weaknesses. Right now, we have a better roster (assuming one or two good draft picks) than the team that finished 9-7 two seasons ago.
March 17th, 2018 at 12:25 pm
The hardline fact is he he gets injured consistently. Every other year it seems he’s out for 6 or more games or almost the entire season. Would I like him in a Bucs uni..hell yes, doesn’t change the facts though. I just don’t feel they want to mess with a boom or bust and I’d lean towards boom as a fan but we have to remember, Tampa knows how to F’up a guy with talent.
March 17th, 2018 at 1:05 pm
Guys whining about salary cap… These are two one year deals. I can promise neither would’ve been a salary cap issue. One year deals don’t screw up salary caps.
March 17th, 2018 at 1:44 pm
Dade City @ Marc…. ” put the tin foil down”….lol… you funny…
Tell me this Marc and Joe… If the owners beleived in the team and in Licht /Koetter being the reason why they kept them. Show me where in free agency where the ownership has supported them… For God sakes Brent Grimes got resigned after Miko Grimes embarrassed the ownership on social media blast about their negotiation tatics of tying the hands of the GM… # Open your eyes bro…
March 17th, 2018 at 2:57 pm
DeSean Jackson, more touches, time to let him return punts, he was spectacular doing that in his Eagle day’s. Bucs are deep enough at WR plus they don’t force many punts anyway so that lowers the risk of him getting hurt
March 17th, 2018 at 3:30 pm
Joe…we met our one good FA player quota. What is the problem? I can see those season ticket sales rain.
March 17th, 2018 at 4:00 pm
Ed
There is no chance DJax will ever return punts.
March 17th, 2018 at 4:13 pm
Ed!!!! I’ve been saying the same thing! Jackson needs to run back punts and kicks. Also, that lame quick screen we run with Hump need to go to Jackson as well. He’s the type of player that needs touches so he FEELS more involved. Similar to a shooter in basketball. All of these options are great ideas instead of launching it down field and HOPING he can get it.
March 17th, 2018 at 6:35 pm
Wait…… Melvin played for the Bucs….. had sub-par seasons….. got let go …. went somewhere else and turned the corner….. Now Smith who is young with all the tools is struggling and needs time to turn the corner so you call for his removal after 1 season at CB…. at some point you have to let your young players develop
March 17th, 2018 at 7:05 pm
The team should have been in the hunting for the honey badger. Even if the Bucs didn’t “need” his primary talents, (has Evans really shown enough to assume he’ll be a difference maker? And since when is having young, potentially major, talent on the roster not a need?) Mathieu’s versatility and big play/hit/blitzing ability is something the defense needs. Who is going to be the breath of fresh air for this team? The Bucs almost need a whole new atmosphere. The secondary certainly needs all the help they can get, including from the front four. DRC is still available. He is content to bide his time in free agency, seeming to match the pace of the Buccaneers. If they can get him cheap, he has big play ability, although inconsistent. At this point, the Bucs best bet is probably swooping in on Breeland, who just failed his physical for Carolina due to a infected cut in his foot. With as poor of a defense we can anticipate right now, it may be worth the risk of MRSA part 2. One word, Mr. Breeland: clindamycin.
March 17th, 2018 at 10:21 pm
Dade city,
You apparently believe that attendance has something to do with moving.
Stupid boy! Pay attention attendance is a pr campaign. Money moves franchises.
See …ugh screw it……Stupid is what it is.
March 18th, 2018 at 4:45 am
Mathieu, 1 year for 7 mill. Surely the Bucs had the money and we do not know if the bucs even went after him but he would have helped for sure.
March 19th, 2018 at 9:53 am
Has anyone thought that maybe since we have the 7 pick, if Chubb isn’t available, we pick denzel ward? I would love to see him in the pewter and red. I do not think we really need nelson anymore and barkley will not be there at 7. we could draft an edge rush in the second and pick a good back in the 3rd round, or trade up and get Michel or Guice.