Tampa Bay Buccaneers worst move in 2022 NFL Free Agency
Letting OG Alex Cappa walk
The Buccaneers have once again had quite the eventful 2022 offseason.
Tom Brady retired, then he didn’t.
Bruce Arians retired and left the team to Todd Bowles.
The Bucs have found a way to bring most of the band back together again for the 2022 season, but there have been some key departures that could hurt.
Notably, the team lost both of its starting guards — Ali Marpet to retirement, and Alex Cappa. to the Bengals — in 2022. The Bucs obviously had the ability to bring Cappa back, but they must not have made him a compelling offer.
Cappa signed a four-year deal with the Bengals worth $40 million. His 2022 cap hit will be under $7 million, which is less than the Buccaneers have going against their salary cap for trade acquisition Shaq Mason.
Mason, a former teammate of Tom Brady’s in New England, is older than Cappa and at least for this season is counting more against the salary cap. He also cost the Bucs draft capital.
Re-signing Cappa probably would have been the wiser decision for Bucs GM Jason Licht.