Veteran OL leaving Buccaneers, signs $21 million deal to rejoin Liam Coen

Tampa Bay is losing depth along its offensive line as a veteran is headed to Jacksonville to team up with Liam Coen.

Dec 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Robert Hainsey (70) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got active in free agency early at the start of the new league year re-signing veteran wideout Chris Godwin to a three-year deal along with Ben Bredeson and bringing in a high-risk, high-reward player in disruptive edge rusher Haason Reddick.

Free agency has been a frenzy across the NFL on its first day, but players won't be able to sign until this upcoming Wednesday. Tampa Bay has done a tremendous job by all accounts thus far, and more moves will undoubtedly be made as the week progresses.

While much of the focus has been on retaining and bringing in players, the Bucs almost made it through the day without seeing one of their own head elsewhere but that came in the form of backup center Robert Hainsey who is headed to Jacksonville to rejoin Liam Coen on a three-year/$21 million deal with $13 million guaranteed.

Hainsey, who started at center for the Bucs from 2022-2023 after being drafted out of Notre Dame in 2021, was replaced this past season by rookie Graham Barton and was likely looking to find a home where he could start rather than be a backup. That ended up happening as he is now headed to the Jaguars where he will be tasked with snapping the ball to and protecting Trevor Lawrence.

Tampa Bay could now possibly be in the market for a backup center behind Barton, and they can likely find a cheap option in free agency or by potentially drafting one in the later rounds of the NFL Draft in April.

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