The Buccaneers got the first crack at safety Dashon Goldson when free agency opened and no one’s going to get a second one.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Goldson and the Bucs have agreed to a five-year deal. That would mean the end of Goldson’s run with the 49ers and would give the league’s worst pass defense in 2012 an important piece to use in an effort to get better.
The Bucs wasted no time making their push for Goldson, sending a plane to bring him to Tampa and wooing him until they got their man. It’s the second straight year that the team’s landed a big fish in free agency with Goldson following guard Carl Nicks and wide receiver Vincent Jackson onto the roster.
With Goldson in the fold, the Bucs will likely be turning their attention toward boosting a pass rush that didn’t do enough to help the secondary last year as well as the cornerback position.
UPDATE 3:14 p.m. ET: Just as we found out the identity of the new Pope, PFT also learned that Goldson’s deal will have a total value of $41.25 million with $22 million guaranteed from the Bucs.