TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers addressed two of their biggest concerns heading into free agency by franchise tagging wide receiver Chris Godwin and signing linebacker Lavonte David to a two-year extension, while also tendering tight end Tanner Hudson, defensive lineman Pat O’Connor, defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter and long snapper Zach Triner.

Those moves now have the Bucs an estimated $7.756 million over the $182.5 million salary cap, which they’ll need to get under by 4 p.m. ET next Wednesday. But the Super Bowl champs still have 21 players slated to become unrestricted free agents, including outside linebacker Shaq Barrett, tight end Rob Gronkowski, defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Leonard Fournette. They’ve got quite a bit of work ahead.

Fixing their current cap situation

The Bucs are working on extending quarterback Tom Brady to help alleviate their current salary-cap situation. Even by extending his current $25 million salary by one year and converting his $10 million roster bonus -- which he’s due March 22 -- into a signing bonus, his 2021 cap number could be lowered to $20 million in 2021 and would give them $5 million this year that would count against the cap next year. He also said last month that he’ll “consider” playing beyond age 45, and a two-year deal would give them even more flexibility.

They could tack years on to the deals for left tackle Donovan Smith ($14.25 million cap hit in 2021), center Ryan Jensen ($10 million) and outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul ($12.8 million) since they all have one year remaining on their contracts. They could also restructure wide receiver Mike Evans ($16.638 million), tight end Cam Brate ($6.5 million) and left guard Ali Marpet ($12.025 million), as all three have restructured/accepted pay cuts previously, or they could cut Brate, who is not owed any more guaranteed money, although that’s a risky maneuver with tight end O.J. Howard coming off a torn Achilles tendon.

This would allow them to present a competitive offer to Barrett, who is now the headliner in the 2021 free-agent class of pass-rushers, and should command more money now that Leonard Williams is off the market. The Bucs won’t be able to give Barrett $20 million per year while keeping the majority of their Super Bowl roster intact, but $17.5 million would be an improvement over his salary playing under the $15.8 million franchise tag one year ago, put him in line with Cam Jordan and on a team positioned to make a second Super Bowl run in a system that plays to his strengths.

The Bucs also need to think about Gronkowski, kicker Ryan Succop, Suh, Brown and Fournette. An 8% salary-cap reduction in 2021 could dry the well for veteran players quickly, which may work in the favor of the first three. But what the market will look like for Brown, considering his off-the-field issues, and Fournette (now 26, but has mileage) is more uncertain.

What if they can’t re-sign everyone?

Even with all the restructures and extensions, there is only so much the Bucs will be able to dish out and borrow from the future to keep their Super Bowl roster intact.

Should Barrett decide to go elsewhere, Pro Bowler Yannick Ngakoue might be an option at a more reasonable price, considering he agreed to a pay cut when he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings last year, going from a $17.8 million franchise tender (as a 4-3 defensive end) to a $12 million deal, before being traded again to the Baltimore Ravens. But he also turned down a two-year deal averaging $19 million a year with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. It’s unclear what his expectations are in 2021, but he’s never had fewer than eight sacks in a season.

There’s also Ngakoue’s Pro Bowl teammate Matthew Judon, who wasn’t given the franchise tag. He’s accumulated 30.5 sacks, 50 tackles for a loss and seven forced fumbles over four seasons.

Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Leonard Floyd wasn’t tagged either and is coming off a career-best 10.5 sacks with 19 QB hits in 2020, and he’s only two months older than Barrett and may come at a more reasonable $13-14 million per year. Or they could look to the draft with Pitt’s Patrick Jones II, Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari or Wake Forest's Carlos Basham Jr.

If Suh can’t be brought back, would the Bucs entertain bringing back Gerald McCoy, their third-overall draft pick in 2010, selected one spot behind Suh? He told SiriusXM NFL Radio this week he would “love to go back to Tampa. … If there'd be a situation where I could go back there, that would be great.” He was cut by the Dallas Cowboys after rupturing his quadriceps in August. He hasn’t played in defensive coordinator Todd Bowles’ 3-4 system and it’s a different team now with new voices on defense, but McCoy has maintained close relationships with his former teammates and has a house in Tampa. This is also a position where they could stand to get younger in the draft, with players like Washington’s Levi Onwuzurike or Iowa’s Daviyon Nixon.

McCoy isn’t the only veteran player who has expressed a desire to join Brady in Tampa. Adrian Peterson told TMZ last month, “That would definitely be something I’m interested in. If they want me to be a part of it, I’ll be a part of it for sure. Because I’m definitely trying to add a trophy to my résumé.” Peterson played for coach Bruce Arians with the Arizona Cardinals in 2017, but he averaged only 3.87 yards per rush and 4.2 yards per touch for the Detroit Lions in 2020. Interestingly, those are comparable numbers to Fournette's in the regular season. The difference is, Fournette exploded in the postseason.

Of course, the Bucs could always try to bring in James White, who would make a great complement to Ronald Jones, given that White’s a far better pass-catcher and has a relationship with Brady from their time together in New England. Aaron Jones would be a terrific addition as well, and the Green Bay Packers did not franchise tag him, but they are attempting to re-sign him before free agency begins, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.