Quarterback Tom Brady was reunited with a former New England Patriots teammate after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed veteran defensive back Logan Ryan to boost their secondary. Ryan was released by the New York Giants on Thursday to create some cap room, but he immediately found a new team as the Buccaneers signed him to a one-year deal. Ryan confirmed the report, replying on Twitter "#GoBucs." The 31-year-old Ryan was Brady’s teammate for four seasons with the Patriots where the defensive back won two Super Bowl rings before he signed a deal with the Tennessee Titans.
Ryan played for the Titans from 2017 to 2019, where he famously picked Brady’s final pass as a Patriot during the AFC Wild Card game. After that game, Brady signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with the Buccaneers while Ryan eventually signed with the Giants.
In his last season with the Giants, Ryan a career-high 117 combined tackles, eight passes defended and two forced fumbles. He will provide depth and experience for the Buccaneers who lost safety Jordan Whitehead to the New York Jets. Ryan is a versatile defensive back as he can play both cornerback and safety. In his career, Ryan has tallied 705 combined tackles, 13 sacks, 18 interceptions and 14 forced fumbles in 140 games.
Gage speaks about conversation with Brady
The Buccaneers on Friday announced that they have signed wide receiver Russell Gage to a deal. During his media conference, Gage talked about his conversation with Brady. According to Gage, he just finished talking to his agent on his next option and was about to take out the trash when Brady called.
"For a minute, I thought it was a prank, somebody was trying to pull one on me," Gage said. Gage said Brady told him that they are building something special in Tampa and he wanted him to be a part of it. “He definitely had me hooked on it after that. ... It was definitely special,” added Gage, who tallied a career-best 130 receiving yards in Week 13 against the Buccaneers.
Gage considered Brady’s call a huge blessing, saying he was just 3 years old when Brady entered the NFL. Gage said he was convinced that it was not a prank midway through his conversation with Brady, who recently announced that he’s coming back for his 23rd season in the NFL.
Evans restructures deal
Buccaneers No. 1 receiver Mike Evans took one for the team anew as he agreed to restructure his deal with the team to create more cap room, per Luke Easterling of USA Today. Evans has reworked his deal several times with the Buccaneers, agreeing to turn his base salary into bonuses to give the team more cap room to recruit additional players. The move provided the Buccaneers with additional $10 million in cap space as they try to bring back some of their key players for another Super Bowl run.
