Tampa Bay Buccaneers shopping Eric Wright
Whether or not the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are able to swing a deal with the New York Jets for Darrelle Revis, they are willing to subtract at the cornerback position first even though they had a glaring need there before losing E.J. Biggers (their only worthwhile corner) to the Washington Redskins earlier this week. However, this could be a case of addition by subtraction if the Bucs do indeed trade struggling cornerback Eric Wright, who carries baggage with him as well.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Wright was a disastrous signing for the Buccaneers last offseason, because they spent far too much money for a player who has chronically underachieved and put together one of the worst contract years in 2011 while with the Detroit Lions.
According to sources close to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are wisely trying to trade Eric Wright, even though their efforts will almost certainly be for naught. Wright did lose his grievance for the 2013 season after being suspended for four games, so his gigantic (why the heck did they think that deal would work out?) $7.75 million salary will not be guaranteed.
That means the Bucs can cut him easily, but it also means that they won’t be able to trade him easily. The money isn’t guaranteed, but it would travel with him to a prospective trade partner, and nobody will want to acquire a below-average player at that cap rate. The Bucs will most likely end up releasing Wright, but they have maintained that they will not release him yet. That’s because they want to see if anyone would be interested in getting a deal done with him.
I bet teams will show interest, but ultimately it is up to Wright. If he is willing to restructure his deal as part of a trade, then Wright will land somewhere- that will happen if he likes that team enough. But, then again, he could just as well get that kind of a deal in free agency and would likely get more money since a team wouldn’t have to worry about also giving up picks or other assets. Expect Wright to get his walking papers in the near future, unless if the pieces can somehow come together in the Bucs favor with regards to dealing the CB.
You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter for more NFL updates and analysis @SorianoJoe.