According to Pro Football Talk, the Green Bay Packers have signed tight end Jermichael Finley to a two-year, $15 million contract. This constitutes the first major contract of the 2012 offseason, although free agency proper won't start until March 13. With Finley signed and Fred Davis likely to be franchised by the Washington Redskins, the free agency market for tight ends is becoming very slim - which is bad news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,who could use a new tight end.

Kellen WInslow Jr. showed signs of slowing down last season, as he struggled to consistently gain separation, was frequently called for penalties as a blocker and a receiver and seemed to lack the speed he used to have. Injuries have taken their toll on his body, and he doesn't appear to be the weapon he used to be. While the Bucs drafted tight end Luke Stocker high in the third round last season, the rookie failed to impress as either a blocker or receiver in his first season in the NFL, which was also hampered by injuries.

The biggest names likely to hit the market as free agents are Martellus Bennett, a perennial underperformer as a receiver but a quality blocker, John Carlson - a talented tight endwith lackluster production and Jacob Tamme, who briefly fulfilled Dallas Clark's role in the 2010 season.

It appears that offensive guard Jeremy Zuttah is engaged in contract talks with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, Zuttah's agent said the talks are 'moving in the right direction' to have the guard employed as a Buccaneer in the coming seasons.

That's a welcome piece of depth added to the offensive line, if the two sides indeed agree to a contract. Zuttah is not a great starter at either left guard or center, but he's a serviceable player who's best asset is his versatility as a backup. Still, Zuttah could end up being a starter the coming season at either left guard or center depending on other additions to or subtractions fro the offensive line this offseason.

If Zuttah does stay he'll be reunited with his college coach, as Zuttah played under Greg Schiano at Rutgers University, as did defensive end George Johnson. It's not clear whether Johnson is still under contract, but if he is not the Bucs will have little trouble retaining him: Johnson is scheduled to be an exclusive rights free agent.

Starting tomorrow and going through March 5th, NFL teams will be allowed to place franchise tags on impending free agents to keep them employed with the team for one more season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a number of free agents, but few worthy of being re-signed, and even fewer worth of a franchise tag. In fact, only one such free agent comes to mind for me: placekicker Connor Barth.

The Bucs do have two other important free agents in Legarrette Blount and Michael Bennett, but neither player is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. In fact, Blount will be an exclusive rights free agent, which essentially means he cannot possibly leave the team and can be retained at a very small cost. Similarly, Bennett is a restricted free agent and his services can be retained with a relatively cheap tender of around $2,5 million. While another team could pilfer Bennett at the cost of a first-round pick, that's unlikely to happen. In addition, the Bucs aren't about to pay $10.6 million to retain Bennett's services by placing the franchise tag on him.

Connor Barth, on the other hand, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent, and given his stellar performance as a field goal kicker the past three seasons the Bucs will undoubtedly want to retain him. They can do so by tagging him at the cost of around $2.5 million, according to Pro Football Talk. It's a cost-effective way of retaining Connor Barth for at least one more year, and it would serve as a placeholder while the two parties possibly work out a long-term deal. And, well, it's not like the Bucs have anyone else they can realistically use the franchise tag on.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need a deep threat at receiver. Not just someone who can run fast, but someone who can turn that speed into production. After all, speed alone only gets you so far - right, Dexter Jackson? There are few players in today's NFL who can do that, and two of them are scheduled to be free agents this offseason: Mike Wallace and DeSean Jackson. The latter will likely receive a franchise tag, but Wallace is likely to be available - at a price, because he is a restricted free agent.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will do everything they can to keep the young and talented receiver, but they may not be able to: the Steelers are scheduled to be $11 million above the cap, and in their current situation they can't franchise tag Wallace while signing him to a long-term deal is exceedingly difficult as well. The only thing they can realistically do is tender the restricted free agent. Adam Schefter suggested yesterday that this gave teams the opportunity to pilfer Wallace from the Steelers.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been publicly stating that they will spend in free agency this offseason. This departure from years past brings up an immediate question: where and how will they spend this money? I can think of two excellent spots to start: cornerback and linebacker.

Those two positions are large needs for the Bucs for different reasons. At cornerback the Bucs are likely to lose Ronde Barber, and even if he returns he is clearly a declining player. In addition, Aqib Tailb faces trial in March and may not return to the team even if he's not convicted of a felony. Behind those players the team has little depth, and they must find replacements for those two starters.

At linebacker, the Bucs don't really have any quality starters. Mason Foster showed some promise as a middle linebacker early last year but he regressed throughout the rest of the season. Geno Hayes and Quincy Black both had terrible seasons, and Hayes is unlikely to return as his contract has run out. Behind them, Dekoda Watson isn't consistent enough to be a quality starter and Adam Hayward is nothing more than a useful and versatile backup. The Bucs must find at least one and preferably two new starters for next season.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a number of free agents, but none of them (outside maybe Legarrette Blount) warrant a new contract - except for defensive end Michael Bennett, that is. There wasn't much to enjoy about the 2011 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the DEs at least provided some light. Adrian Clayborn had a solid first season in the NFL, but it was Michael Bennett who really stood out.

While Bennett has always had the talent, he never produced steadily. He was undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2009, and the Buccaneers picked him up on waivers after the Seahawks cut him. Since then Bennett has steadily increased his role on the team, and he really took off this season. While his numbers aren't spectacular - 4 sacks and 39 combined tackles in 14 games - Bennett's steady play deserves some recognition.

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The Oakland Raiders made Stanford Routt an undeservedly rich man last year with an enormous contract equating to just over ten million dollars per year. Routt has been a solid starter who can make splash plays, but he never deserved Nnaamdi or Asante money. This move could work into the Bucs favor.

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The Oakland Raiders have released cornerback Stanford Routt just one year after giving him a massive contract extension. This isn't so much an indictment of Stanford Routt as it is a reflection of the insane contract the Oakland Raiders handed out, and their salary cap problems. At least the Bucs don't have to deal with that right now. Stanford Routt joins a very deep cornerback class in free agency, which is likely to include players like Brent Grimes, Cortland Finnegan, Aaron Ross, Brandon Carr, Rashean Mathis, Richard Marshall, Carlos Rogers, Terrell Thomas, Eric Wright and Tracy Porter.

All of this is good news for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who likely need to find two new starters this offseason. It is still unclear whether cornerback Ronde Barber wants to return to football, and whether he wants to do that with the Bucs - or whether the Bucs even want him back.

The Bucs' other starter was Aqib Talib, but he faces trial in March for a shooting incident in Texas. Even if he's not convicted chances are Talib won't be a Buccaneer this season. The talented but troubled cornerback may not fit Greg Schiano's 'Buccaneer Way' of Trust, Belief and Accountability. With rumors swirling last offseason that Talib would be released after getting into trouble yet again, it seems unlikely he'll be on the roster this season.

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