The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made headlines last week when they traded for retired tight end Rob Gronkowski, who will end his one-year absence from football to join the Bucs and reunite with Tom Brady.
The move for Gronk fueled speculation that tight end O.J. Howard could be on the move. After a disappointing 2019, it seemed the former first-round pick might not be around to catch passes from Brady next year. But GM Jason Licht came out last week to address the Howard speculation, and it now seems like the Bucs are content keeping him around.
With Howard staying put, Dan Graziano at ESPN.com says the Bucs picking up Howard’s fifth-year option is “most likely happening” now.
Per Graziano:
“Bucs general manager Jason Licht said in February that the team would pick up Howard’s fifth-year option. That was before the team traded for Rob Gronkowski — a deal that intensified the speculation around the league that Howard could be traded. But with the tight end option number coming in under $9 million, picking it up wouldn’t hurt Howard’s value even if they did decide to move him.”
It’s a smart decision by the Bucs. Howard is still young and has plenty of talent, so it’s too soon to give up on him just yet. The Bucs can only hope that working with Brady and Gronk will help elevate his game. If not, they can trade him down the road.
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