Bucs taking Gage from division rival
By Jared Smola |
Updated on Tue, 15 Mar 2022, 4:19 PM EDT
Former Falcons WR Russell Gage is expected to sign with the Buccaneers, according to multiple reports. That ensures Atlanta will lose its 2nd leading receiving from last year and likely delivers Tampa Bay's new slot man. Gage went from running out of the slot on two-thirds of his routes each of the previous 2 seasons to just half the time last year. WR Chris Godwin, meanwhile, has seen his slot rate grow every season. According to Pro Football Focus, he spent 70% of pass snaps in the slot last year. So we'll see whether the Gage signing pushes Godwin back outside or injects Gage into Antonio Brown's spot (about 21% slot). That could depend, in part, on whether Godwin's torn ACL allows him to start the 2022 season on time. Either way, Gage's arrival challenges the target-share ceilings for Godwin and Mike Evans vs. what they might have been with Brown gone and a lesser replacement.
Update: ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that it's a 3-year, $30 million deal with $20 million guaranteed.