Bucs GM Throws Water on O.J. Howard Trade Rumors

Even before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lured Rob Gronkowski out of retirement to reunite him with Tom Brady, there were already rumors that one of their tight ends could be heading elsewhere.

O.J. Howard, a former top-20 draft pick, has been the subject of such rumors dating back to last year's trade deadline in October. The Bucs kept him then, and it appears they're more than happy to keep him now, even after trading for Gronkowski.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht made it clear he's looking forward to having Howard, Gronkowski and Cameron Brate all in the team's tight end room for the 2020 season, per ESPN's Adam Schefter:

In response to any speculation that Tampa could trade OJ Howard, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht said today: "We're excited about having OJ Howard play with Rob Gronkowski. Why wouldn't you want to have many weapons at that position? We have an excellent tight end group right now."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2020

The No. 19 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Howard is loaded with talent and potential, but injuries and inconsistency have kept him from living up to his lofty potential and the high expectations that come with such a high draft slot.

Howard's age and cheap contract make him a valuable trade asset, but also give the Bucs plenty of reasons to keep him, in hopes he's able to develop down the road and become the player they drafted him to be.

We'll see if Howard ends up getting dealt after all, but for now, it looks like the Bucs are at least trying to keep his trade value high by not tipping their hand.