Ryan Succop Released
March 23rd, 2023
Gone.
Joe doesn’t like this move at all.
The Bucs announced today they have released veteran kicker Ryan Succop. Let the kicker merry-go-round commence!
No, Succop wasn’t any good from 50+ yards. From 45 and closer, the guy was dynamite. Last year Bucs coach Todd Bowles kvetched about how Succop was inconsistent beyond the 50. Well, if you have any kind of offense, you shouldn’t have to rely on home run field goals for points.
For decades the kicker position was not just a turnstile, but a nightmare for Bucs fans. How many gruesome kickers did Bucs fans have to endure before the Bucs FINALLY stopped the endless madness, signed Succop and had a reliable kicker.
But now he’s not good enough for the Bucs.
Careful what you wish for. Meanwhile, back to the circus that was (is?) the Bucs’ placekicking position.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:02 pm
They’re clearing cap space to trade for Rodgers. Mark my words.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:03 pm
Some other kicker with a stronger leg and similar accuracy will be released and come in cheaper. Bucs have to count every penny, and this way, again, Bowels gets what Bowels wants, so when the new kicker misses a few game tying FGs and costs Bowels 3 or 4 games, his fate is seasled. Win win.
Fire the Bowelszter as soon as you can, Jason. Maybe January 9, 2024.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:03 pm
Why would you keep an old guy who isn’t reliable over 50 yds? Come on Joe
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:06 pm
3.75 million saved. It was inevitable. I’m surprised they waited this long.
He was hired to replace Matt Gay, who became a Pro Bowler. We have the entire off season to find a replacement, and may already have it on the roster in Jake Verity.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:08 pm
Might want to re-read the article for your answer.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:09 pm
I’m good with it. We need a legit kicker with accuracy AND range.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:18 pm
Gotta give it up for Succuo, hitting the 52 yarder in the Super Bowl after Jensen snapped it over brady’s head and it looked like the Chiefs were germinating a comeback.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:21 pm
Ah yes, the customary releasing of a good kicker right before another decade of perennial failure, just like with Connor Barth.
Let’s hope Licht doesn’t draft a kicker in 2nd round…..AGAIN.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:25 pm
I agree with you Joe. For too many years we have watched missed extra points and chip shot fg. Finally have a guy who is deadly at 45 and in so we dump him? I understand cap but how much are you saving if we are back to signing anyone who can walk to be our kicker? When we are inside the 50 we should be going for the first down over 50% of the time. Not getting the first is no different than missing the kick from 50. Playing scared will cost many more games than missing a fg.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:25 pm
Kickers. Just please dont draft one in the first 6 rounds, please. All these nerds go for it every 4th down anyway now. Bowles and the front office are living in the NFL of 25 year ago. The two worst special teams by ranking happened to meet in the superbowl last season. Go grab some soccer player from Australia, and punt the ball out of bounds. Not that hard. The team with the best aggregate special teams play, the Texans finished the year with 3 wins.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:26 pm
Yeah, I’m with you Joe. While his range wasn’t elite, he was clutch within reasonable range. He got a raw deal last year. Bowles being desperate for any kind of points put him out even tho everyone and their mother knew it wasn’t feasible for him to make the kick. Maybe if the offense wouldn’t have been such dog ish last year, he’d have had a better year. I can see him signing in San Fran, they need a kicker yet apparently. Good luck and thank you for 3 years of peace with the kicking game!
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:26 pm
Succop appears to be in a pretty big decline, he was getting less and less distance while being more and more inaccurate.
I don’t really have an issue with this.
Where Licht went wrong, however, was signing Succop. If he had just kept Matt Gay, we would have had a kicker for the next 20 years. Gay is now the 2nd highest paid kicker in the NFL for a reason. Also Gay got the Bucs a SB ring by single handedly losing the Bucs two games in 2019 — since if the Bucs go 9-7, they likely don’t get rid of Winston and in that case they don’t sign Brady.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:28 pm
Licht is gonna trade a 2nd rounder to the Colts to reacquire Matt Gay.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:29 pm
Cap casualty, tough to lose but his cap cost was significant for a kicker.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:29 pm
Yes the kicking game is viable…BUT for a team in cap hell trying to stay relevant, 4million dollars on a kicker just isn’t fiscally responsible. I mean we all seen this coming even you Joe! You spend that type of money on a kicker when your one player away from the Super Bowl. see 2020 Tom Brady era.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:32 pm
Problem is licht had to do it cause bowles couldn’t help himself keeping on trying 50 yd fgs
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:34 pm
Tim Says:
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:28 pm
Licht is gonna trade a 2nd rounder to the Colts to reacquire Matt Gay.
——–
And then the dopes in the comment section here will be demanding that Gay is cut after he misses an extra point during a warm up in training camp.
Also, to be clear, I HATED Matt Gay for losing those games in 2019. But I also said, at the time, he’s clearly going to be a good kicker, and now that he’s got that out of his system, the Bucs just need to stick with him. I did understand signing Succop, as he was a very good kicker, who got injured, he wasn’t on the decline, and when you got a SB roster, you want a sure thing. However, it was evident that Gay was going to be really good.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:35 pm
Licht will draft a K in the first 2 rounds
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:39 pm
Sasquatch … ‘3.75 million saved. It was inevitable. I’m surprised they waited this long.’
Exactly, it was inevitable. We’re hurting big time for money. Prior to this we were only $733K under the CAP; not even a drop in the bucket since we still have to pay LVD, Gaines, Gill & O’Connor. BTW, looks like Gaines signed for $3.5 mil on a 1-year contract (excellent deal since his Market Value was twice that).
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:43 pm
Tim HAHAHAHAHA!
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:43 pm
Don’t like it but I understand
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:43 pm
Big mistake. Oh wait, we can draft a kicker in the second round…..
I bet they could have restructured his deal. Another decade of kickers that can’t make an extra point. Ugh.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:45 pm
Succup was a reliable kicker for the Bucs,however, in today’s NFL a team needs a kicker that has the ability to make a 50 yard field goal, Succup for all his positives couldn’t do it.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:49 pm
Should be able to acquire a kicker who is at least as reliable, possesses a stronger leg and is cheaper. But then again, it’s the Bucs who have had a woeful kicking game through the years.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:50 pm
Let’s see who he signs with and for how much…..
Getting younger…..getting cheaper…..
Brady, D Smith, Hicks, Gholston, Succop, Brate, Bernard, Lenny, Julio, Gabbert.Rudolph
Quite a bit younger…..I like it.
LVD is the only exception….and I like it.
March 23rd, 2023 at 5:55 pm
Its just the lost decade flashbacks kicking in Joe….
We’ll find a solid young kicker who CAN kick 50+ yarders when needed and save about $3M in the process.
March 23rd, 2023 at 6:06 pm
What part of “younger and faster and cheaper” applies to Succop?
Who did not see this coming?
March 23rd, 2023 at 6:14 pm
No way is any kicker who can not make field goals over 50 yards worth what we were paying Succup.
March 23rd, 2023 at 6:19 pm
Solid but overpriced kicker…
I’m not sure I trust Licht with drafting kickers. Matt Gay worked out OK – FOR THE RAMS!!! And I refuse to use the name of the wasted 2nd round pick from FSU.
Hopefully we can just sign a decent cheap vet and draft a kicker in the 6th round to compete.
Here we go again – another search for a kicker that isn’t mental and inconsistent.
March 23rd, 2023 at 6:19 pm
he had a nice run
he got a super bowl ring
March 23rd, 2023 at 6:39 pm
By far the best off season move to date
March 23rd, 2023 at 6:44 pm
“Joe doesn’t like this move at all”
You’re awful polite about it. I &$#@=+#@ hate it! *&#$@#&* &@$@##&*!!
Annnd *@&#$@$&#&!!
March 23rd, 2023 at 6:55 pm
With their 2nd pick in this years draft..The Bucs and Jason Licht select…???
Jason loves taking that shot with Kickers.
March 23rd, 2023 at 7:04 pm
Well at least we have Trask, who has been working out as 3rd string holder in addition to his clipboard duties, glad we have him for depth. And for that surprise fake FG where he can throw a pass from kicking formation. Oh the fans will love it!
March 23rd, 2023 at 7:18 pm
Agree with Joe. Please Mr.Licht please don’t pull another Aguyo. Please
March 23rd, 2023 at 7:22 pm
Kicker in the second round!
March 23rd, 2023 at 7:24 pm
Guy couldn’t hit a kick over 50 yards. Handwriting was on the wall.
March 23rd, 2023 at 7:25 pm
Goat I don’t care how much you love crab legs, Jameis Winterception isn’t coming back.
March 23rd, 2023 at 7:28 pm
This sucks. I get we don’t have the money but man for the people who want range in a kicker I say screw that just make the offense better. Id rather have TDs instead of field goals. If we have an offense like we did with BA then a kicker who can hit 45 n under and is reliable like succup is just fine and don’t need one with range
March 23rd, 2023 at 7:32 pm
If the team has to take a step back in talent I’d prefer it’d be because of losing a kicker than any other position. The whole curse thing was stupid just do better picking a kicker. Very few teams in the nfl have kicker issues we’ll be just fine
March 23rd, 2023 at 7:54 pm
Lol anyone who has a problem with this is an idiot. Yes is succup reliable within 45 yards. Yes. Is he a great kicker? No. Was he making 3.5 million and can’t kick past 50 making him one of the highest paid kickers in the league? Yes lol that’s Justin tucker money and this guy ain’t it. Time to find a legitimate long term solution that has both accuracy and power… or is that too much to ask? Lol we ain’t winning the Super Bowl this year anyways so why not try a few kickers out and see if we can find a real answer
March 23rd, 2023 at 7:57 pm
Man apparently not hitting over 50 yards suddenly isn’t good enough for this team.
Remember when we hoped they could hit them from 20 yards?
THOSE DAYS ARE BACK BABY.
March 23rd, 2023 at 8:29 pm
Should of been cut after 2021 season
You can find kickers anywhere. Find someone who can make above 50+
March 23rd, 2023 at 8:34 pm
BEEN POSTING THIS MOVE FOR WEEKS …
Not rocket science. Kicker making $4M (avg $2.5). Bucs with limited cap and tons of holes don’t need a high priced kicker.
The question is how could you not see this coming?
March 23rd, 2023 at 8:41 pm
4th best move by the team in free agency so far.
1. Fire Leftwich
2. Sign Dean
3. Sign David
4.Release Suck up
5. Sign Baker
March 23rd, 2023 at 8:53 pm
Ol’ Hot Rod Mulch and that borderline personality of his…wishing Gay made his kicks so Winston would have been re-signed to a big dollar deal. So what if The Bucs didn’t win their 2nd Super Bowl…excellent logic…per usual.
March 23rd, 2023 at 9:21 pm
Joe: Did you want the Bucs to keep Succop around forever for fear that another kicker will do worse? Is this the same guy who said “IF YOU’RE AFRAID, GET OUT OF THE BUILDING!!” after the Cleveland game?
March 23rd, 2023 at 9:37 pm
Lol @joe thinks we should keep a kicker that can’t kick over 50 reliably and pay 3.5 million because he can kick accurately 45 down. Uhm it’s the modern nfl find someone that can do both that your not paying top 10 kicker money to
March 23rd, 2023 at 9:47 pm
Care to count how many years the Bucs have been trying that, failing time after time after time?
Last Joe checked, the “modern NFL” is like the old NFL where field goals count three points and all points add up in full to the final score. Give Joe an accurate short-legged kicker any day over a guy who might kick a long-range field goal, but can’t hit the broad side of a barn inside the 40.
March 23rd, 2023 at 10:53 pm
Winny Testaverde – I understand for those with very low IQs that it can be hard to read more than a few words at a time, but if you actually get past the first sentence, you’ll see that I was mad at Gay at the time, but because he stunk, the Bucs ended up winning a SB. See, one thing happened, then another thing happened, and both are recapped in the original post. True story. Maybe have someone else read the comments to you before you say anything then you won’t look as stupid.
March 23rd, 2023 at 10:55 pm
I actually agree with Bowles on this one.
Going into a lame duck season with an unknown quarterback, offense, and kicker is a recipe for failure.
March 23rd, 2023 at 10:56 pm
We lost a few games because we couldn’t kick the ball further than 45 yards when needed.
March 23rd, 2023 at 11:22 pm
I was JUST finally healing from my PTSD caused by the platoon we had of ineffective kickers marauding our team from within. I had just stopped shaking when it was a field goal try. Then Bowles starts trying to kick them instead of going for it on 4th down. This is a horrible tragedy to remove Succop, old or not. He is reliable and a great team member. Bowles is attempting to insure his bad playcalling. I never dreamed (even in cold-sweat nightmares) that this would happen and now I will be plagued by them.
March 23rd, 2023 at 11:32 pm
Good. He was getting worse and 2023 would be useless outside of 40. His leg is
weaker than a pool noodle.
March 24th, 2023 at 12:29 am
Hey Munch. Can Rodgers kick?
March 24th, 2023 at 1:19 am
Releasing him terminates the existing contract. They can now re-sign him for less money.
March 24th, 2023 at 5:19 am
I think many of you werent around during the Kicker curse, or have forgotten.
The Bucs have had only three reliable kickers in they’re entire existance! Ryan Succop was the third the first two were Martin Gramatica and Matt Bryant. Still don’t know why we let Bryant get away….to Atlanta no less!
March 24th, 2023 at 8:35 am
It used to be harder to find a solid and consistent kicker. Not so much anymore it seems. The all-time career FG percentage leaders play right now.
(Holding down, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25th spots)
That is 15 of the top 25 spots all time.
About 30 of 32 teams every year seem to have guys kicking 80 percent or better in their field goals. Ryan Succop career is at 83% which is 19th among active kickers.
Currently, there are 27 active kickers with career percentage of 80% or more. That does not include Eddie Pineiro, Riley Patterson, or Tyler Bass who are all over 85% for their careers but don’t have enough attempts yet to qualify them for career percentage.
Yes, Bucs had bad history with kickers. No reason to think, we will continue to have a bad history. The percentages of good kickers right now suggest that we will be fine there.
March 24th, 2023 at 9:01 am
Last year was rough for him. I’m not sure if yaw were watching.
March 24th, 2023 at 11:44 am
I cannot imagine that we ever had a kicker that we could really count on but him. Gramatica came so late that we were still scared when a field goal was attempted. If you weren’t there then, you can surely cut down Succup’s 2022 season. John McKay would never have cut Succup this year.
March 24th, 2023 at 12:05 pm
Crickett Baker Says:
March 24th, 2023 at 11:44 am
I cannot imagine that we ever had a kicker that we could really count on but him.
———-
Uh, Donald Igwebuike
How about Steve Christie
Maybe the NFL’s 3rd all-time leading scorer John Carney
The Bucs have a rich history of top flight kickers.
March 24th, 2023 at 1:05 pm
Bring back Roberto Aguayo lol
March 24th, 2023 at 3:04 pm
Let’s hope JL doesn’t move up in the draft to get a new kicker!
March 24th, 2023 at 3:09 pm
Rod, it became evident that Gay was going to be good only after he got yo the Ram’s! Imo.