How the Shaq Mason trade helps the Bucs’ salary cap woes

The Bucs bought themselves a bit more operating room with Mason’s trade to Houston.

Work isn’t done yet, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are improving their salary cap situation little by little.

Another part of this journey for the team is the trade of its 2022 starting guard in Shaq Mason. Mason and the Bucs’ seventh-round pick were dealt to the Houston Texans on Tuesday in exchange for one of the Texans’ sixth-round picks, sending Houston a starting-caliber guard to protect its incoming new quarterback.

Here’s what that trade did for Tampa Bay — the move not only freed up $5.3 million on the salary cap for this year, but it also freed up $1.08 million for the next three years as well as reported by FOX Sports’ Greg Auman. It was also advantageous to find a trade partner for Mason, as releasing him would have netted the same cap relief. There will be $3.2 million in dead cap space for 2023, however, due to the void years tacked on to Mason’s contract from last year.

With Mason leaving for Houston, the possibility that Tampa Bay drafts a rookie lineman is becoming more and more likely. For now, though, the team will turn to one of its younger linemen to fill his place and protect whoever is behind center for Tampa Bay in 2023.