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Bucs face a quandary in free agent market

Posted Jan 19, 2010 by Ira Kaufman

Updated Jan 19, 2010 at 02:03 PM

By IRA KAUFMAN
TAMPA—It’s tough enough to find quality young talent available in NFL free agency, but the 2010 crop could be even leaner than usual.

The league and the Players Association are running out of time to forge a new basic agreement and head off an uncapped season that would begin in just six weeks. The Glazers purchased the Bucs in 1995 and have never operated the franchise without the constraints of a salary ceiling and a salary floor.

Tampa Bay has used free agency sparingly in recent years, partly out of principle and partly out of a sense that most of the players available were overpriced and not worth the risk. Still, the Bucs proved they would spend on a Derrick Ward or a Jeff Faine when they were convinced that player would make a difference.

But if there is no new CBA by March, players like Bucs LB Barrett Ruud would have to wait longer to attain free-agent status, significantly reducing the field for good, young players seeking their second NFL contracts. More than 200 players would be affected, forced to wait six seasons instead of four before they are eligible to test the market.

On the flip side, NFL clubs are expected to release a large contingent of high-profile veterans. That would increase the free-agent pool, but don’t expect rebuilding teams like the Bucs and Lions to jump on 32-year-old players on the back side of their careers.

Those high-priced veterans can help put contenders like Dallas and Baltimore over the top, but they don’t make a lot of sense for the Bucs. Tampa Bay fans anticipating a free-agent bounty in March figure to be disappointed.

The Bucs plan to turn the franchise around primarily through the draft, although adding some more veteran leaders in the locker room is never a bad idea. Proven winners can accelerate the learning curve for young players and bolster team chemistry.

With 10 draft picks, expect the 2010 Bucs to field one of the league’s youngest rosters this fall, when you may be able to count the number of players in their 30s on one hand.