Not sure if this is already out there or not but was told that Bucs C Ryan Jensen restructured his contract to help the Bucs with their 2024 salary cap allowing them to split the dead money between 24 and 25 if retires/cut. https://t.co/rvInd1O1nb
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) August 30, 2023
Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen may not play another down for Tampa Bay, but he and the Bucs just set the team up to better absorb the financial consequences. Tampa Bay restructured Jensen’s contract, saving the Bucs over $11 million in cap space in 2024 according to Over the Cap’s Jason Fitzgerald.
The move, which rolls his 2024 base salary in a bonus, essentially gives the Bucs an out if Jensen retires or is cut. If designated a post-June 1 cut, his remaining dead money does not accelerate to just 2024 but instead splits with his original void year in 2025, saving Tampa from a massive cap hit.
The move is however a strong signal that Jensen and the Bucs have serious doubts that he will ever suit up in red and pewter again. With nearly all his remaining cap spread over future void years and minimal base salary to be earned in 2024, Jensen cannot really make any more money playing in Tampa Bay that has not already been paid. The Bucs and Jensen would have to completely revisit his contract if they believe he could come back.
This also gives the Bucs more breathing room in 2024 to extend other key players like Mike Evans, Antoine Winfield and Tristan Wirfs. Evans and Winfield will be free agents next year. Wirfs is due to play on the fifth-year tag and could be in line for a record-breaking extension. While the Bucs front office earned a reputation for salary cap innovation, the extra $11 million from Jensen’s restructure provides much-needed maneuverability.
