TAMPA, Fla. — The window had closed. That seemed pretty indisputable.
Tom Brady had left and Ali Marpet had followed. Antonio Brown had taken his jester act on the road, and the league’s salary cap police were hovering around the front gate.
With so many free agents on the roster and so few solutions in sight, it seemed as if Tampa Bay’s run as an NFL powerhouse was going to end almost as quickly as it began.
At this time last week, Tampa Bay’s odds of winning the Super Bowl were longer than 14 other franchises, according to one online betting source. The Bucs were beginning to look like one of those nondescript teams that Monday Night Football executives routinely ignore.
And yet, look at them now.
The return of Brady kicked off one of the most transformational weeks in franchise history. The Bucs restructured contracts, they re-signed key players, they brought in experienced replacements. That closed window? Shattered by a plot heard round the world.
Guess who is back in Super Bowl contention?
In a week’s time, BetOnline.ag had readjusted its Super Bowl odds to make the Bucs a favorite along with the Bills. They went from a 33-to-1 longshot to 7 1/2-to-1 contenders.
That’s not just a modification, that’s a tsunami-like wave of anticipation.
Just consider the strategically pinpointed makeover that’s taken place since Brown walked off the field in New York barely two months ago:
Offensive line
At one point, the Bucs were in danger of losing all three of their interior linemen. Ali Marpet had retired in February and Ryan Jensen and Alex Cappa were both free agents.
Cappa ended up signing with Cincinnati, but the Bucs re-signed Jensen to a $39 million, three-year contract last week and then acquired Shaq Mason from New England for the sinfully low price of a fifth-round pick. Marpet had been graded as the seventh-best guard in the league by Pro Football Focus in 2021, but Mason was ranked even higher at No. 4. The Bucs also re-signed backup Aaron Stinnie.
The line might not be quite as formidable as last season, but it should still be one of the top units in the league.
Receiver
The offense was not the same after Chris Godwin was injured and Brown was jettisoned in December. With Godwin and tight end Rob Gronkowski potentially heading toward free agency and/or retirement, the receiving corps was looking like a depleted mess.
Instead, Godwin was initially retained with the franchise tag and then signed a three-year extension on Wednesday. A day earlier, the Bucs signed former Falcons receiver Russell Gage to a 3-year, $30 million deal. Gage doesn’t have Brown’s pedigree but the Bucs will be better off with low-key production than high-profile drama. Brady’s unretirement also makes Gronkowski’s return much more probable.
In a big-picture sense, this is an upgrade from 2021.
Secondary
Once again, the Bucs were facing uncertainty a week ago. Two of their four starters — cornerback Carlton Davis and safety Jordan Whitehead — were heading toward free agency.
Davis, who was probably Tampa Bay’s most coveted free agent after Godwin, re-signed for three years and $45 million. Whitehead took a two-year, $14.5 million deal with the Jets, but the Bucs softened that blow by signing veteran Logan Ryan. A starting corner in New England during their 2016 Super Bowl season, Ryan has since moved to safety and has been more dependable than top-shelf.
The return of Davis and the maturation of the rest of the defensive backs could turn into another upgrade in 2022.
Quarterback
Just a week ago, Bucs fans were imagining trade scenarios for a half-dozen different quarterbacks. Instead, Brady decided to unretire, and Tampa Bay’s offense was suddenly among the league’s best again.
Here’s another way of looking at it. The Browns gave up three first-round picks and $230 million in guaranteed salary to get DeShaun Watson this week. Denver gave up two first-round picks and three players to get Russell Wilson. Green Bay handed Aaron Rodgers $150 million for the next three years.
Brady, meanwhile, walks back into the building with a salary around $10.4 million. The Bucs will surely alter that with a new extension, but can you imagine a better scenario for finding an elite quarterback?
None of this makes the Bucs a sure bet. They still have some questions marks on the defensive line (where Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul are free agents) and running back (where Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones are free agents) but the biggest concerns have been addressed.
The Bucs have had some big weeks in the past. When they originally signed Brady in March of 2020, they also retained Shaq Barrett and Pierre-Paul. In April of 1995, they drafted future Hall of Famers Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks within hours of each other. In the final week of January in 1996, Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin were hired. In February of 2002, Jon Gruden came to town.
All of those moves eventually led to future Super Bowls.
Some distant day in the future, there’s at least a decent chance we’ll be talking about this week with the same kind of awe.
