The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have some work to do in the coming weeks during free agency. A big-time trade could happen this offseason, as Tom Brady wants the team to trade for Cleveland Browns star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The defending Super Bowl champs have multiple keep players set to hit free agency as well, including two wide receivers.
The Buccaneers were able to keep one of them, Chris Godwin, in the fold by putting the franchise tag on him. Antonio Brown, however, is set to hit free agency and it is anyone’s guess as to how that plays out. While Tampa Bay would love to bring the gang back, there could be another team that offers Brown enough money to price him out of Tampa.
If that occurs, the Buccaneers would have to look elsewhere to replace him. The wide receiver spot is pretty set with Godwin and Mike Evans already in place and Scotty Miller showing in the postseason he can help out as well. Adding another ancillary piece would make sense, but it sounds like Brady would like to swing for the fences and is pushing for the team to add Odell Beckham Jr. to the mix.
Fitting Beckham’s salary into their cap would require some work for the Buccaneers, but for a player of that caliber, it would be worth going through the hoops for. Beckham Jr. tore his ACL last season and has not looked like the same player with the Browns as he did with the New York Giants, but when healthy, he is still one of the best playmakers in the game.
What could a trade for the superstar wide receiver look like? In exchange for Beckham, the Browns could receive a 2021 second-round pick, a 2022 third-round pick, and Carlton Davis. Given the injury Beckham Jr. is recovering from and his production, that isn’t too bad of a haul for the Browns, who could replace him in what is a very deep wide receiver free agency group. Davis is a starting-caliber cornerback as well that would help shore up their defense.
Cleveland has said they have no plans to trade away Beckham Jr., but that is difficult to buy at face value. Baker Mayfield played some of his best football after Beckham Jr. was sidelined, so he is capable of getting the job done without him. Moving him to free up some cap space and add future picks could help them fill other holes on the roster.
For Tampa Bay, an already explosive offense would become even more super-powered. Teams would lose sleep over trying to figure out how to slow down a Buccaneers offense with Brady throwing to Godwin, Evans, Beckham Jr., and possibly Rob Gronkowski.
Good luck to the rest of the NFL stopping them from being repeat Super Bowl champions with an offense like that backed by as strong of a defense that Tampa Bay has.
