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Bleacher Report Names Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Most Overpaid Player
Bleacher Report gave their take on the most overpaid player for every team in the league, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The bulk of the NFL free agency has blown over, and focuses have geared toward the NFL Draft, which is just over a week away. With this, contracts around the league have had time to be analyzed and looked at whether they are justified or not.
Bleacher Report took the time to judge every team's contract situation in the league, determining who every team's most overpaid players. For the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the player listed by Bleacher Report was cornerback Jamel Dean.
"The five-year veteran was frequently burned in coverage in 2023, and he isn't much of a playmaker (two interceptions total in the last two seasons). He's not living up to a four-year, $52 million contract," Bleacher Report wrote.
Making an average of $13 million annually, Dean is the 11th-highest paid player at the position. His four-year, $52 million contract runs through 2027, meaning he will be on the books for a while.
Dean has spent the entirety of his five-year career with the Buccaneers. He's been a full-time starter over the past two seasons, though he recorded no interceptions last season. He dealt with injuries and never got into his full stride.
When healthy, Dean is a talented player, but his unavailbity and lack of being a playmaker makes his contract overpaid for the time being. Of course, as mentioned, he's on contract through 2027. There's time for him to flip the narrative.
Earlier in the offseason, reports came out that the Buccaneers were open to moving Carlton Davis or Dean. They didn't want to trade both, though. Davis was the odd man out, being dealt to the Detroit Lions, the team that beat the Buccaneers in the playoffs.
Dean now gets another year to try and redeem himself, and getting healthy is the most important part in him doing so. Sure, he's overpaid right now. If he can find full health and get back to the player he's shown he can be, it's a narrative he can control.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.
