Jason Licht and the Bucs have doled out some big-money contracts over the last couple of offseasons, re-signing the team’s top free agents. But we saw Tampa Bay jettison one of those players this offseason for not living up to his huge contract.
The Bucs traded starting cornerback Carlton Davis III and a sixth-round pick to Detroit in March for a third-round pick in this year’s draft. Davis, who signed a three-year, $44.5 million contract with the team in 2022, was entering a contract year with a $14.5 million cap figure. The oft-injured Davis struggled to stay healthy, and didn’t produce many interceptions when he was on the field.
The same fate could meet Jamel Dean after this season. Dean is entering the second year of a four-year, $52 million contract, and is scheduled to have a $12 million base salary in 2024.
Like Davis, Dean has battled injuries and has yet to start every game in a season in Tampa Bay since being drafted in the third round in 2019. He too has also struggled to come down with interceptions and create takeaways on defense, which doesn’t help his cause.
Bleacher Report recently came out with an article naming each NFL team’s most overpaid players entering the 2024 season. Dean was Bleacher Report’s choice for Tampa Bay and that seems quite logical given his oft-injured status that has caused him to miss six games over the last two seasons and the fact that he has only recorded seven interceptions in five years, but didn’t record a single pick in 2023.
Here is what Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon wrote about Dean.
“The five-year veteran was frequently burned in coverage in 2023, and he isn’t much of a playmaker (two interceptions total in the last two seasons). He’s not living up to a four-year, $52 million contract.”
Who Are The Most Overpaid Players Among Bucs’ Division Rivals?
In case you are curious, here are the most overpaid players within the NFC South, as named by Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon.
Atlanta Falcons – DT Grady Jarrett
“The two-time Pro Bowler isn’t the player he was five years ago, but he sure is paid like it. Jarrett is due $40.8 million the next two seasons despite having just 8.5 sacks since the start of 2021.”
Carolina Panthers – G Damien Lewis
“A PFF disappointment in two of the last three seasons in Seattle, Lewis hit the market at the right time and landed a four-year, $53 million deal to help shore up Bryce Young’s line. It’s a lot of cash for a so-so guard who’s never been a Pro Bowler or a first- or second-team All-Pro.”
New Orleans Saints – CB Marshon Lattimore
“Alvin Kamara and Ryan Ramczyk would “win” this thing with a lot of other teams, but Lattimore is hard to beat here. The 27-year-old has been extremely ineffective while suiting up for just 17 games the last two seasons, all while pulling in an average of $19.5 million per year.”
