
Our Monday 10-pack specifying the winners and losers in free agency omitted the Buccaneers. Plenty of Buccaneers fans didn’t like that very much.
Which means that the spending spree in which the team engaged last week had its intended effect.
But let’s be realistic. Giving $26 million fully guaranteed to a 29-year-old receiver was a bit much. Ditto as to the decision to give $25 million fully guaranteed to a guard. Throw in $15 million guaranteed for a good-not-great cornerback, and it looks like the Bucs overspent in order to get the attention of the fan base.
That didn’t make the Bucs one of our five losers. But it wasn’t enough to make Tampa one of the five winners.
Then again, winning and losing ultimately will be determined in an entirely different way. And if the new arrivals help the Bucs win games, then in hindsight they’ll fairly be described as winners in free agency.
(Photo credit: Buccaneers.com)