Arians 'very confident' Bucs can keep majority of championship team
Head coach Bruce Arians believes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can keep most of their Super Bowl roster together this offseason.
"I'm very, very confident. I have all the trust in the world in Jason (Licht) and what he would do," Arians said Monday, according to Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
"These guys, they have a bond. There will be dollars involved. But I think that this group is so, so close that sometimes dollars don't matter. But we're going to do everything we can to get the dollars right, too, because they earned it."
Arians has confirmed he'll return for 2021, as has Tom Brady. But Tampa Bay has a laundry list of impending free agents, including Rob Gronkowski and Chris Godwin.
Notable free agents
| Player | Position |
|---|---|
| Shaquil Barrett | OLB |
| Lavonte David | LB |
| Rob Gronkowski | TE |
| Chris Godwin | WR |
| Antonio Brown | WR |
| Ndamukong Suh | DT |
| Leonard Fournette | RB |
Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, and Leonard Fournette were responsible for all four touchdowns scored by the Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
The 31-year-old Gronkowski pushed aside all talk of possibly retiring again postgame while adding that he "definitely" sees himself returning to Tampa Bay, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine.
The Buccaneers are also reportedly interested in retaining Fournette, per NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Brown, for his part, is optimistic about a return.
"I would love to be back here next year. It would mean everything to be back," the veteran receiver said, according to Laine.
Shaquil Barrett, who played this season on the franchise tag, spoke of his appreciation for the Buccaneers' staff. He expects a "quick solution" to contract negotiations.
Godwin, who's been an instrumental part of the team's receiving group, might be a candidate for the franchise tag.
Arians also noted that Mike Evans offered to sacrifice a portion of his own salary to help the Buccaneers keep their free agents.
"Mike Evans is the most unselfish superstar I've ever met. He's told us to use some of his money if we need to (for) contracts to keep the team together," Arians told Peter King of NBC Sports.
Tampa Bay is projected to have $38.1 million in cap space this offseason, per Spotrac.