Tampa Bay Buccaneers indicate they will not attempt to sign receiver Antonio Bryant to a long-term deal before Wednesday deadlineSubmitted by admin on July 14, 2009 - 3:31pm |
There are a number of NFL players that are hoping that by 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday, they will have long-term deals in place with their current teams. Some of these hopeful players include Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Bryant.
For all of these players, their representatives have been working furiously with the front offices of their respective teams trying to work out a deal that would take away the vaunted franchise tag and give them some long-term stability and money.
The deadline for franchise players to reach long-term deals with their respective teams is 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday.
In the case of receiver Bryant, the Buccaneers are making it clear that they have no intentions of rewarding him with a long-term deal, despite his outstandingly productive season last year.
Last season, Bryant was able to haul in a whopping 83 receptions for 1,248 yards and seven touchdowns. Most people would think that these numbers carry enough weight to garner a long-term deal, but obviously the Buccaneers seem to feel very different.
Even though the Bucs are failing to secure weapons for their unproven group of quarterbacks, Bryant and his agent still don’t see this as a problem at all.
With Wednesday’s deadline approaching, the Buccaneers have indicated to Bryant’s agent, C. Lamont Smith, they will not attempt to sign Antonio Bryant to a long term contract. Smith indicated that this decision “was not a problem for him or Bryant and that he has the security of the franchise number (approximately 10 million) and the possibility of being a free agent again next year. With another productive season, Bryant’s price tag will only go up.”
The Buccaneers are likely looking for Bryant to prove himself again this year before committing to giving him a long-term contract. But when Bryant does strike again with a season similar to last year, the Buccaneers will definitely have to reach deep into their pockets to make him stay around. If not, they will watch him go to a team that is willing to offer him the security of a long-term deal and the money that comes with it.
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