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Sports
Warren Sapp Says Bucs
Bucs Tag Shaq Barrett After Leading NFL In Sacks
Tom Brady Announces He's Leaving The Patriots, Reportedly To Sign With Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers are the expected land- ing spot for quarterback Tom Brady, barring any unforeseen circumstances, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter and Jeff Darling- ton.
There is no signing date or announcement officially set up, but Brady is expected to be a Buccaneer. Brady probably will sign Brady to a two year, $30M contract.
The news comes after Brady said goodbye to the New England Patriots in a se- ries of Instagram posts on Tuesday, ending his 20-year run with the only NFL team he has ever known.
"Although my football journey will take place else- where, I appreciate every- thing that we have achieved and am grateful for our in- credible TEAM accomplish- ments," he wrote.
Brady, 42, leaves New England with six Super Bowl rings and 41 playoff starts since 2001.
In recent years, Brady has repeatedly said that his goal is to play until he is 45, but he and the Patriots could- n't come to an agreement on a contract extension last off- season. That created a path
TOM BRADY
for Brady to explore his op- tions as a free agent.
Bucs coach Bruce Ari- ans spoke glowingly of Brady earlier this offseason.
Weeks later, Arians' "Hail Mary" attempt appears to have landed him the most decorated star quarterback in NFL history.
Brady's signing will offi- cially end Jameis Win- ston's reign as Tampa Bay's starting quarterback.
"I'm instantly thinking, 'We're gonna be a contender, we're gonna be a playoff con- tender,'" Bucs linebacker Shaquil Barrett said of his reaction to the news in an in- terview with ESPN's Wendi Nix, "and that's all I want to do is play winning football again and try to get a cham- pionship, so that's a step in the right direction."
SHAQ BARRETT
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hall Of Famer Warren Sapp is still great and loves the football move by the Bucs.
He stated letting Jameis Winston hit free agency was a bold move by the front of- fice, because guys who throw for 5,000 yards are special and Sapp was adamant that the Bucs scored enough points last season to have bet- ter than a 7-9 record. “This was a mistake in the long run."
Tom Brady “loves the screen game,” so the Bucs better find the right running back for that, said Sapp, who likes the idea of the Bucs find- ing a capable running draft rather than in free agency.
*Chris Godwin better
WARREN SAPP
give up his No. 12 jersey on his own and immediately, Sapp explained. “You pass the jersey to Tom Brady without any discussion.” Sapp likes No. 88.
*Antonio Brown? Sapp doesn’t think the Bucs should write off the thought. Mike Evans look out." You may be next."
Getting Rid Of Jameis
Winston Was A Mistake
Bruce Arians vowed to make sure Shaq Barrett wouldn't leave Tampa in free agency -- and he was right.
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers are franchise tagging Barrett, per a source in- formed of the Buccaneers' plans. The team confirmed the move Monday afternoon.
Ranked as the No. 5 free agent in the 2020 class by NFL.com's Gregg Rosen- thal and Chris Wesseling, Barrett came out of relative anonymity to lead the league in sacks with 19.5 in 2019, blazing past his combined ca- reer total of 14 and totaling eight quarterback takedowns in just his first three games. Barrett did so on a one-year deal that barely registered a blip on the average NFL en- thusiast's radar after his first five years in Denver saw him contribute in spots, but not enough to retain him on a new contract.
Barrett delivered and will see a fantastic return on his bet on himself, going from playing for $5 million to what will be around $20 million, according to the average of the top five NFL salaries at his position. Quadrupling your money is a pretty good deal if you can get it.
Jameis Winston Has A Few Starting Spots
The quarterback who led the NFL in passing yards last season has a few starting spots around the league.
Jameis Winston, who led the NFL with 5,109 pass- ing yards in 2019, has been replaced by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at quarterback, as the Bucs are expected to sign Tom Brady. Since he didn’t know what was going to hap- pen in Tampa Bay, Winston has not found a new home yet. In the meantime, numer- ous other quarterback vacan- cies have been filled:
– Philip Rivers is going to the Indianapolis Colts
– Teddy Bridgewater is going to the Carolina Pan- thers
– Marcus Mariota is joining the Raiders
– Ryan Tannehill re- signed with Tennessee
– Case Keenum is going to Cleveland
The Patriots need a start- ing quarterback, while Chicago and the Chargers are among other teams that could use a backup/second option.
Winston is joined by Andy Dalton and Cam Newton as quarterbacks who probably still need a new home.
JAMEIS WINSTON
Jameis Winston And Fiance To Wed This Weekend
BREION ALLEN AND JAMEIS WINSTON
Breion Allen, fiancée of Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Jameis Winston, plans to marry the quarterback this week.
Allen told WFLA.com that the coronavirus outbreak will not postpone their wed- ding.
Bucs Season Ticket Demand Surges Post-Brady News
The Tampa Bay Bucca- neers ranked near the bottom of the league in home atten- dance last season.
That could all change over the next 24-48 hours.
Since the news broke that future Hall of Fame quarter- back Tom Brady agreed in principle to a deal that would make Raymond James Sta- dium his new kingdom, the demand for Bucs season tick- ets almost instantly surged. Because, of course they did.
Fans eager to purchase tickets through Ticketmaster to ensure their spot in the stands for the eight games Brady would presumably start in the 2020 season were met with a message that read: "You are now in line. Due to demand, you may ex- perience an extended wait time. Once you reach the front, you may begin to shop." At one point, the queue was up to 2,900-plus people.
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