The career end of quarterback Tom Brady has been announced prematurely, but according to the current status it is probably only a matter of time until it is announced. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the decision would have far-reaching implications for cap space and other personnel decisions.

Munich/Tampa Bay – After the confusion surrounding the retirement of star quarterback Tom Brady, it remains to be said as things stand: The 44-year-old has not yet ended his career.

Moreover, everything looks like the announcement of the end of the “GOAT’s” career is only a matter of days away.

Accordingly, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will inevitably have to deal with the time after the short, albeit very successful, Brady era in Florida.

And when it comes to cap space, things don’t look rosy, to say the least, with a view to the coming season and possibly also the competitiveness of the reigning Super Bowl champions beyond 2022.

Brady’s contract situation has implications for cap space

Brady originally signed a two-year, $50 million contract with the Buccaneers in March 2020. After last season, he signed a contract restructuring that deferred $15 million of the $20 million signing bonus until 2022, according to “Spotrac.”

If Brady were to retire this offseason, the Bucs will get $16 million of that back, according to USA Today.

Brady is projected to earn $10,395,588 in 2022 on a cap hit of $20,270,588. If the 44-year-old retires before June 2, the Buccaneers would have a whopping $32 million in dead cap.

According to the NFLPA players’ union, there is currently $189.992 million in cap commitments for the 2022 season with 46 players under contract and just over $1.425 million in cap space that will carry over to the 2022 league year.

The salary cap for 2022 is expected to be $208.2 million, which the NFL and NFLPA agreed to last May. Once 51 players are counted, Tampa Bay is expected to be $15.5 million under that cap for the upcoming season, according to “CBS”.

This does not leave ample room for signing new players or extending expiring contracts. And in terms of personnel decisions, there are plenty of talks ahead for the franchise.

Buccaneers face sweeping personnel decisions

Even if Brady were to return, the Buccaneers have plenty to do this offseason to ensure they remain atop the NFC’s list of title contenders.

Wide receiver Chris Godwin, tight end Rob Gronkowski and centre Ryan Jensen are the most prominent names from a host of players on the roster who will become free agents after the 2021 season ends.

Godwin was franchise tagged last season. The 25-year-old suffered a torn cruciate ligament in December, which should hurt his value and could potentially work to the Bucs’ advantage when negotiating a long-term contract.

Veteran Jensen should find plenty of suitors, as it feels like every other team in the NFL is looking to improve its offensive line, while Gronkowski’s fate is almost certainly closely tied to Brady’s.

But beyond the aforementioned personnel, there is plenty of work for general manager Jason Licht and head coach Bruce Arians. While Tampa officials managed to “get the band back together” after winning the title before the season, it may be a lot trickier this time around.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Arians rules out rebuild

Keeping the winning squad together should still be a guiding principle for the team’s architects, despite their second-round playoff exit. In any case, Arians categorically rejected the idea of a full “rebuild” after the play-off exit.

“It’s a fresh start, like every year,” Arians was quoted as saying on the team website less than 24 hours after the postseason exit: “Our priority in Free Agency will be our players – see how many we can get back and then build a team from there.”

The Buccaneers currently have 25 players whose contracts expire in March and who have the appropriate playing time in the league to become Unrestricted Free Agents.

With Godwin, running backs Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones, and “Gronk,” a large portion of the offensive power is affected. In addition to Jensen, another key O-lineman in Alex Cappa.

The defense could lose cornerback Carlton Davis, safety Jordan Whitehead, defensive end Will Gholston, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul, among others.

Buccaneers: Arians wants to rest for now

Head coach Arians wanted to use the time directly after the dramatic defeat against the Los Angeles Rams to talk to his players and also to those farewell candidates. In doing so, the coach sounded basically positive: “The way they played, I doubt anyone will want to do without them in the future.”

Asked about personnel such as Brady and Gronkowski, Arians replied: “I don’t think you can really make a decision with the current attitude (meaning the disappointment after the play-off exit, ed.). I would say we take some time off, recover, let the body heal and see where our thoughts and feelings are then.”

He continued, “We’ll take a couple of weeks and then we’ll see. I would say that in the next three, four, five weeks you should clear your head and process everything and then see where you stand. “