Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2021 Free Agent Profile: Kicker Ryan Succop
Following years of uncertainty at the kicker position - even after drafting one in the second round - Ryan Succop descended upon Tampa Bay and immediately contributed to a Super Bowl-winning team, coming up clutch in various situations.
After rotating through multiple kickers in the past few seasons and even throughout the 2020 offseason, Succop went a perfect 9-of-9 (100%) throughout the playoff run and was 90.3% on his field goal kicks throughout the entire season. Stability, at last.
Kicker Ryan Succop
2020 stats (including playoffs): 37-40 FG, 64-70 PATs, 175 total points, long of 52
Previous contract: One year, $1 million
Spotrac market value: N/A
Succop, who will turn 35 in September, could command looks on the open market for the stability he provides at the position, even though he may be reaching the tail end of his career.
Succop's 2020 campaign was very productive, only missing field goals in weeks one, four, and fifteen. The South Carolina alum was perfect on field goal attempts throughout the playoffs, nailing his longest field goal of the year in the Super Bowl in his sole attempt in the game, from 52 yards out.
For specialists, this offseason and the lower cap may cause them to take less money, even though the cream of the crop on special teams is usually paid significantly less than many other players. The highest-paid kicker in the league is Baltimore's Justin Tucker, who only makes $5 million a year.
The former Mr. Irrelevant bounced back with the Buccaneers after being released by the Titans after a rough outing in 2019, having his second-best season by percentage of his career in 2020.
Because of Succop's abysmal 2019 outing, many teams did not have interest in Succop, as he was injured for much of the season and when he did kick, he went 1-6. This allowed Tampa to swoop in and grab Succop at a low price, as his 2020 contract was valued at the 23rd best in the league based on average per year.
The Buccaneers should lock up Succop for the near future, as his price should not be outlandishly high but he is still having success despite his age. Succop has proven that he is not a shell of himself, getting past the knee injury of 2019 and still contributing in his 12th season as an NFL player.
Getting Succop back on the team to make one more run would be ideal, especially on a short-term deal.
If Tampa could make it work, a two-year, $4 million deal could work for both parties, as a complete, consistent kicker is locked up for the rest of quarterback Tom Brady's career, and Succop gets a slight raise for his impressive bounce-back performance.
