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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucs Face Another Long Free Agency List in 2022

Ten players who started at least 10 games in 2021 are on the Bucs' list of potential free agents in 2022, including Carlton Davis, Chris Godwin, Leonard Fournette, Ryan Jensen and Jordan Whitehead

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After winning Super Bowl LV at the end of the 2020 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers successfully 'kept the band together,' somehow retaining every key player on their list of potential free agents and heading into 2021 with all of their starters from that championship roster.

Can they do it again in 2022? The Buccaneers just sent eight players to the Pro Bowl and believe they have a core talented enough to make another run at the Super Bowl. After the Buccaneers' attempted title defense ended in a Divisional Round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Head Coach Bruce Arians made it clear that the first order of business for 2022 was trying to keep that core as intact as possible.

"Our [priority] in free agency will be our guys – see how many that we can get back and then build a team from there," said Arians. "I always look forward to that part of it, and then the draft. Each year is so different and so new. Last year, to get everybody back was amazing. I doubt we can do it all again this year, but we're sure going to give it our best."

It will indeed be challenging. The Buccaneers currently have 25 players who could become free agents of some sort when the new league year begins on March 16, including 23 potential unrestricted free agents. The list includes 10 players who started at least 10 games each during the regular season.

Like every team, the Buccaneers have exclusive negotiating rights with all their pending free agents until 72 hours before the start of the new league year. Unrestricted free agents are players with four or more accrued seasons and an expiring contract; restricted free agents have three accrued seasons; exclusive rights free agents have two or fewer accrued seasons. Teams may also begin placing franchise tags on potential free agents on February 22.

Here is Tampa Bay's list of potential 2022 free agents.

Unrestricted Free Agents

  • S Andrew Adams
  • RB Giovani Bernard
  • G Alex Cappa
  • CB Carlton Davis
  • CB Pierre Desir
  • RB Leonard Fournette
  • QB Blaine Gabbert
  • DL Will Gholston
  • WR Chris Godwin (given the franchise tag)
  • TE Rob Gronkowski
  • TE O.J. Howard
  • C Ryan Jensen
  • RB Ronald Jones
  • DL Steve McLendon
  • LB Kevin Minter
  • WR Breshad Perriman
  • OLB Jason Pierre-Paul
  • S Curtis Riley
  • CB Richard Sherman
  • G Aaron Stinnie (re-signed)
  • DL Ndamukong Suh
  • T Josh Wells
  • S Jordan Whitehead

Restricted Free Agents

  • DL Patrick O'Connor
  • LS Zach Triner

Exclusive Rights Free Agents

None.

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