Jamel Dean deal makes Lavonte David prospects bleak for Buccaneers
Pulling off the impossible is starting to become even less feasible.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have become famous over the past few years for finding ways to keep the band together in the name of going all in.
Jason Licht and the rest of his staff have been stellar in this regard since Tom Brady arrived.
Finding so many different ways to keep talented free agents in Tampa is truly an impressive skill when you look at it, but it is also fair to mention that a bit of Brady luck was involved as well.
However, a bill will always come due, and a guy like Tom Brady retiring (for the second time) will have a way of impacting this aspect of the game.
Players aren't going to want to stay on a team-friendly deal with a franchise that isn't in a position to compete. Many of these long-term guys, such as Lavonte David, have seen their share of bad, losing seasons.
Why go back to that now for less money than they can get on the free agent market?
Lavonte David epitomizes this perfectly. As much as every Buccaneers fan would love to see him retire with the team, that prospect has just become all the more difficult with the re-signing of Jamel Dean.
Dean didn't break the bank by any means, but his four year, $52 million dollar deal is going to shrink up some of the already-limited cap space for the Buccaneers.
This was the right move for the Bucs based on Dean's skill and the position that he plays, but this could be the final nail in the coffin for David staying in Tampa.
The Buccaneers only really had one big free agent to sign during this window. Dean was quick, but that didn't mean that the front office was wrong.
With more teams out there able to sell Lavonte David on more money, a better team, and the opportunity to avoid having to go through a painful rebuild, it would be wise for Buccaneers fans to start coming to terms with what the future will actually hold for one of their favorite players of all time.
