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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could take advantage of another team’s salary cap issues in the offseason.
CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin proposed that the Bucs sign Minnesota Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson in free agency. The Vikings sit at $20 million over the salary cap, which is significantly less than the Bucs’ $58.5 million in the red. Peterson had a one-year, $4 million contract last season.
“Assuming they’re still committed to contending post-Tom Brady, the Bucs could use help on the back end, where Jamel Dean is a free agent and Todd Bowles‘ once-vaunted “D” may be even more pressed to carry the club,” Benjamin wrote. “Peterson, 32, fits for many reasons: he’s a rental coming off a surprisingly solid year, he was born and raised in Florida, and he could conceivably help mentor some of the younger DBs for beyond 2023.”
Dean will cost a lot to re-sign as he could command $16.5 million annually per Spotrac. Peterson, instead, would only cost up to $6.5 annually, according to Spotrac.
A Florida native, Peterson could provide similar production to Dean. Peterson garnered 66 tackles, five interceptions, and 12 pass break ups in 2022. Dean posted 57 tackles, two interceptions, and eight pass deflections last season.
Dean is Highly Sought After
Teams will come calling for Dean if the Bucs don’t re-sign him or use the franchise tag.
Pro Football Focus ranked Dean No. 5 among all free agents, and the website gave him an 89.9 coverage grade for 2022. Dean’s rookie contract of four years, $3.55 million will expire March 15, and there’s precedent within the Bucs organization to play a high-performing corner.
“Fellow Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis returned to the team this offseason on a three-year, $44.5 million contract that could serve as something of a benchmark to clear for Dean wherever he potentially ends up. Dean carries some injury history but has outperformed Davis since entering the league in 2019, earning coverage grades above 75.0 in every season thus far,” PFF’s Brad Spielberger wrote.
“Dean takes some risks attempting to jump routes that at times can lead to explosive receptions over the top, but his size, athleticism and physicality at the line of scrimmage enable him to disrupt opposing wide receivers’ releases and will have a lot of teams interested,” Spielberger added. “He doesn’t have great ball skills — though he did snag two interceptions on the year — and can be a bit stiff in the hips, but we’re nitpicking here with a guy who can match up well with a lot of the top big-bodied wide receivers across the NFL.”
Peterson Graded Well in 2022
If the Bucs acquire Peterson, the team takes on a corner who just had a career year. Pro Football Focus took notice.
“Peterson’s 80.7 grade in 2022 was the second-highest mark of his illustrious 12-year career, an impressive accomplishment this far down the road,” Spielberger wrote. “Peterson intercepted 6.9% of passes thrown into his coverage this season, the fifth-best mark in the NFL, but his value is seen outside of just the turnovers. Peterson’s 82.5 coverage grade ended up trailing only three other players, including New York Jets rookie phenom Sauce Gardner, with his 0.81 yards per coverage snap allowed, also a top-15 mark.”
“The Vikings’ cornerback situation outside of Peterson in 2022 was a struggle almost every week, and his consistent performance was a major reason they managed to win close games despite not looking like a true top team based on various underlying metrics,” Spielberger added.
The Arizona Cardinals drafted Peterson in 2011 with the No. 5 pick, and he left for Minnesota in 2021 as a free agent.
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