The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't let the NFL trade deadline pass without making a couple moves aimed at strengthening the team's future.
Shortly before the arrival of Tuesday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline, the Buccaneers sent third-year safety Mark Barron to the St. Louis Rams for two picks in the 2015 draft and shipped sixth-year linebacker Jonathan Casillas plus a 2015 pick to the New England Patriots for a higher pick.
"We have a lot of respect for Jonathan and Mark as players," said General Manager Jason Licht. "We appreciate their hard work and what they did for us here. In some of these cases with trades, we find a partner where they feel that their services are needed more there than they are here. That's the case here. We wish them the best and nothing but the best. They've been great program guys here for [Head Coach] Lovie [Smith] and myself. Hope nothing but the best for them in the future."
The Buccaneers agreed with their trade partners not to disclose what specific picks were involved, though there were outside reports with specific details. For Tampa Bay, the net result is that the team now owns eight picks going into next year's draft; the Bucs had previously dealt their 2015 fourth-rounder to the Patriots for guard Logan Mankins.
Barron was drafted by the Buccaneers in the first round (seventh overall) in 2012. In three seasons with Tampa Bay, Barron has started all 37 games he has played, totaling 224 tackles, 20 passes defensed, seven tackles for loss, three interceptions for 15 yards, two sacks, two passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
Casillas signed as a free agent with Tampa Bay in 2013, appearing in 17 games with seven starts over two seasons, totaling 34 tackles, two tackles for loss, two passes defensed, one forced fumble and nine special teams tackles.
