After a promising start to his career, LeGarrette Blount took a back seat to Doug Martin last season, but that doesn't mean Tampa Bay doesn't still value Blount. The Buccaneers are considering tendering Blount at a first or second-round level, according to a report from Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.
Buccaneers consider 1st round tender on LeGarrette Blount, according to report
LeGarrette Blount is headed for restricted free agency and Tampa Bay is reportedly considering tendering him at a first-round level.
J. Meric
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Blount is scheduled to become a restricted free agency and the Bucs have until 4 p.m. ET on March 12 to tender him a contract. As an undrafted free agent, the Bucs can tender Blount at three levels. If Tampa Bay placed a first-round tender on Blount, it would cost them $2.879 million. A second-round tender is worth $2.023 million. Tampa Bay could also tender Blount as a right-of-first-refusal, which would cost $1.323 million.
After rushing for 1,788 yards during his first two seasons, Blount rushed for 151 yards on 41 attempts last season. He figures to remain behind Martin for the foreseeable future, but Tampa Bay is reportedly considering a high-tender because they don’t want to be without running back depth.
With a deep free agent class of running backs, it seems unlikely a team would be willing to surrender a second round pick to sign Blount, yet alone a first round pick. Tampa Bay, however, has plenty of cap space available as they are nearly $33 million under the cap.
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