-The Buccaneers have been steady working through free agency for the past couple weeks and continued on Thursday when they announced a contract extension for offensive tackle Donovan Smith. The Penn State product was a second-round pick by the Bucs in the 2015 NFL Draft and has started 98 of a possible 100 games for the team since then. The extension keeps him in the red and pewter as his current contract was set to expire next year. It also helped in cap flexibility for the team as they work on re-signing their 2020 starters in an effort to 'go for two' in 2021.
The Bucs have their entire starting offensive line from 2020 under contract for 2021, providing continuity in the unit that perhaps needs it the most.
-The Bucs weren't done on Thursday as they also announced the re-signing of kicker Ryan Succop, who was the first player in NFL history to both play in and subsequently win a Super Bowl with the "Mr. Irrelevant" label. Succop was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs with the very last pick of the 2009 NFL Draft. However, in his first season with the Bucs in 2020, Succop was anything but irrelevant. His 136 points scored were the most in a single season in team history. So were his 60 total kicks and 52 extra points made. He had a 90.3 field goal percentage, which was the second-best mark of any Bucs kicker ever and his 28 field goals made tied for the third-most in franchise history.
-Good guy and Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans donated $50,000 to the UnitedWay in his hometown of Galveston, Texas to help aid families affected by the winter storms that hit the area causing severe damage and widespread power outages. The donation was made through his Mike Evans Family Foundation with $37,500 being distributed in the form of gift cards that can be used for food and other essential items, according to an article in The Daily News of Galveston County. The remaining money will be given to the Johnny Mitchell Boys & Girls Club of Galveston and St. Vincent's House to help underserved children and families.
The Mike Evans Family Foundation was started by Evans and his wife, Ashli, in 2017 and focuses its efforts in affording underserved students with the opportunity for higher education along with aid for families dealing with domestic violence.
The family has been active both here in Tampa and Evans' hometown.
-Friday was the day everyone's mock drafts blew up. News broke of not one, but two, blockbuster trades among three teams. It started with the San Francisco 49ers trading up from the 12th spot to No. 3 with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins then subsequently traded up from 12 to No. 6 with the Philadelphia Eagles. Miami wheels and deals draft picks like nobody's business. Except it became the business of everyone in the mock drafting world, including yours truly, who is currently in the process of reworking her entire mock draft for next week along with countless others, no doubt. The domino effect is real.
According to Adam Schefter, this is the first time in three years there was a trade involving a top-six pick and we're still not even close to the start of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Bucs Tweet of the Day:
