Bucs Rumors: Latest on Tom Brady, Jameis Winston and Shaquil Barrett Ahead of FA

As the rest of the sports world is upended by COVID-19, the NFL in many ways is pushing forward as expected. 

While multiple NFL teams have suspended travel due to the spread of coronavirus and the league has prohibited pre-draft visits, the new league year opened as planned, with no delay to free agency. 

That means that the deadline to franchise or transition tag players remains Monday at 11:59 a.m. ET, and the legal tampering window will begin immediately thereafter at noon. As planned, the new league year will begin, with free agency opening Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

Teams were always preparing for this outcome and no doubt have been taking steps to jump into the new league year with both feet. Some teams, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, project to be a bit busier than others. The Bucs have plenty of cap space; with the new salary cap announced to be $198.2 million in 2020, the Bucs have about $95 million to work with in cap space, per Tampa sports anchor Chris Torello.

The Bucs also have some big-name pending free agents, including wide receiver Breshad Perriman, quarterback Jameis Winston, outside linebacker Sam Acho, defensive lineman Beau Allen and tackle Demar Dotson. Which players will they prioritize re-signing and which outside players could they look to bring in? Let's break down the latest Bucs rumors. 

Report: Bucs Franchise-Tag Linebacker Shaquil Barrett

After signing a one-year, $5 million deal with Tampa Bay in free agency last year, linebacker Shaquil Barrett made it known that he wanted to remain in Florida through 2020 and beyond. 

"I'm expecting to still be down here in Tampa," Barrett told NFL Network last week. "I feel as though we both feel that we got a lot of good momentum from last year we're gonna build on. So, we're gonna try to work that out and figure out what that's going to look like, but I'm confident I'll be down here."

On Monday, Barrett didn't get a long-term deal with the Bucs, but they did opt to franchise-tag him, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Barrett was the league leader in sacks in 2019, with 19.5. He wanted to prove his worth after agreeing to a one-year deal, and the bet certainly paid off. But the franchise tag suggests that the Bucs haven't seen enough sustained production to tie both sides' fates together for the foreseeable future...yet. 

It's the first time the team has used the franchise tag since 2012, and by doing so, it also likely signals that Jameis Winston will depart this offseason. Speaking of quarterbacks, let's take a closer look at what the Bucs might look to do at the position. 

Bucs Have 'Significant Interest' in Tom Brady

What was once expected to be a bustling free-agent market for top quarterback Tom Brady has quieted to just a murmur.

The Tennessee Titans, said to be a possible landing spot for Brady, agreed to terms with free-agent quarterback Ryan Tannehill, to the tune of four years and $91 million in guaranteed money, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

The San Francisco 49ers are also out on Brady, according to NBC Sports' Chris Simms, who is close to head coach Kyle Shanahan. 

That means that essentially the two teams left standing in the Brady sweepstakes are, of course, the Patriots and the Bucs, according to NBC Sports' Peter King. 

According to King, Bucs coach Bruce Arians had "significant interest" in Brady early in the process, though King believes Tampa is still pursuing Teddy Bridgewater. With the Bucs having the fourth-most cap space per Over the Cap's Jason Fitzgerald, they're one of the few teams that could afford to ink a deal of this magnitude. 

Though Brady would no doubt have a field day lobbing balls to wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the Arians offense, which is predicated on aggressive downfield passing, seems a strange fit for Brady, whose career has been made by careful, patient decision-making in the pocket. 

Still, this rumor holds plenty of water. Bucs general manager Jason Licht worked in the Patriots front office on multiple occasions throughout the 2000s. And Bucs director of player personnel John Spytek played linebacker at Michigan during Brady's tenure. 

Jameis Winston Era Could Be Over 

With the Buccaneers' reported interest in Bridgewater and Brady, where does that leave Jameis Winston?

The likely answer is...not in Tampa. 

We know now that the Bucs have used the franchise tag on Shaquil Barrett, which makes the possibility of the 26-year-old quarterback departing in free agency that much more likely. Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud tweeted Sunday night that the Bucs, who also have interest in Philip Rivers, are "willing to put Winston out there."

Also according to Stroud, Licht will "defer" to Arians on who he wants leading his offense next season. That spells more bad news for Winston's future with Tampa Bay, as Arians has not been forthcoming with praise of Winston since the disappointing conclusion to a 7-9 season. 

Of course, everything hinges on what kind of interest Winston would be expected to get in free agency. Players like Brady and Rivers will command top dollar on the open market. The Dallas Cowboys tagged Dak Prescott, per NFL Network's Jane Slater. Tannehill's massive deal could suggest that it will be a seller's market for quarterbacks this year, but the fit has to be right.

Winston hasn't helped his case through recent error-filled seasons, throwing a league-high 30 interceptions to 33 touchdowns in 2019 and 14 picks to 19 touchdowns the year before that. Last year, his completion percentage dipped to 60.7, his lowest since his rookie campaign in 2015. 

Is it still possible the Bucs re-sign the former No. 1 overall pick if he doesn't get a lot of interest on the free-agent market? Of course. But their actions so far have signaled that it is not a high priority for the cash-flush team.