Last season, opposing offenses found more holes in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31st-ranked secondary than the Titanic crossing the Atlantic. Wednesday afternoon, the Bucs took their first steps in patching up their porous pass defense, by locking down San Francisco 49ers safety Dashon Goldson for five years and $41.25 million. According to ESPN's Mike Sando, the Niners could have kept Goldson on the other Bay but saw the writing on the wall.
Goldson stood out for his big hits and strong tackles. Coach Jim Harbaugh suggested Goldson epitomized the type of player the 49ers would like to reward. But San Francisco appeared resigned to losing Goldson, its franchise player in 2012. The team could have kept Goldson by naming him its franchise player at a cost of $7.45 million for 2013,
"We have the most expensive defense in the league on an average per-year basis, and that is not sustainable over time," the team's chief operating officer, Parrag Marathe, said during the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference two weeks ago. "Because of the cap, if every veteran on the team took a 15 percent discount on their market value, you couldn't field that team still under the cap because the difference between wholesale [draft] and retail [free agency] is so wide.
Ballhawking safety Ed Reed could be a possibility to replace "The Hawk" and join Ravens teammate Anquan Boldin in San Fran. Reed recently hired agent David Dunn, who also represents 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, offensive coordinator Greg Roman and general manager Trent Baalke.
Since getting drafted in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, Goldson has been selected for two Pro Bowls in Tampa Bay, Goldson will be one half of a formidable secondary that includes promising second-year pro Mark Barron and possibly, future Hall of Fame vet, Rondo Barber. Just yesterday, it was being reported that the Buccaneers were making an offer for Darrelle Revis. That deal is less likely than a Chris Brown-Drake collabo.
Bucs consider S Dashon Goldson a 'gem,' in the free agent class. Don't look for any big money deals with TB for CBs.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) March 13, 2013
YAY, DaShon Goldson is a Bucc. I'm sure Julio Jones likes this news as he burned Goldson and BArron each for a TD last season.
— S.C.A.R. (@ScottCarasik) March 13, 2013
Teams always keep the players they truly want. Cap is an excuse.
— gregg rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) March 13, 2013
