The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a new head coach in Lovie Smith and this offseason they could look to make a Darrelle Revis trade to a team like the New England Patriots, while some free agent targets could be names like Jared Allen, Charles Tillman, Brandon Spikes, Michael Bennett, Jairus Byrd and Ben Tate.
The trade of Revis could come this offseason and while he has a $16 million salary for 2014, some teams could put value in that and pull off a deal just a year after he was moved from the Jets. The current Buccaneers brain trust of Smith and new general manager Jason Licht have no real ties to Revis or even draft pick Mike Glennon for that matter and that makes all available options on the table for the Bucs.
Smith has said that he will find a place for Revis in his defense, which doesn't need a "shutdown" corner, but putting that much money in a position that isn't totally necessary for the team is a lot to ask for. ESPN.com reports that the team could look to trade Revis and places like the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos or Oakland Raiders could be desirable. Last season Revis showed he was healthy after tearing his ACL, as he played in all 16 games, had two picks and added 50 tackles, but at age 28 he is not getting any younger and that cap number is just insane.
Last year's head coach Greg Schiano and former general manager Mark Dominik were the ones who shelled out that deal and picked Glennon and Smith will not be beholden to those moves as head coach and could move on from both players. Glennon will be with the team, but it may not stop Smith from picking a QB in the first round or later, as the team has a top 10 draft pick. The Buccaneers ranked last in the league in passing yards per game and that is why a QB is needed and they also could use more weapons alongside Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson and adding another back with Doug Martin could also be an option in the draft.
Free agency wise, some of the top options for the team are on defense and names like Spikes, Bennett and Tillman could be in the mix. Bennett was one of the biggest mistakes the last regime made, as they let him leave after having nine sacks two years ago and he was a force for the Seahawks last season and helped the team win the Super Bowl. Jared Allen also could be an option and he may come cheaper than others due to his age and after playing fir six seasons with the Vikings, it could be time to move on after he had at least 11 sacks in each season with Minnesota.
Byrd is another name to watch if he leaves Buffalo, while Tillman is interesting after he previously played with Smith in Chicago. Tillman played nine seasons under smith and while he is getting older, he knows the system and is productive, putting up 11 interceptions over the past four years and that could help the team upgrade the secondary this season.