Shaq Mason‘s stint with the Buccaneers will end after one season. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that the Buccaneers plan to release the guard if they can’t work out a trade for him in the coming days.
Mason has one year left on the five-year, $50M pact he signed with the Patriots back in 2018. He’s set to earn $8.5M in 2023, and Tampa Bay could clear more than $4M in cap space by letting him go.
The 29-year-old lineman was traded to Tampa Bay last offseason for a 2022 fifth-round pick, reuniting him with quarterback Tom Brady. Mason started all 17 games for the Buccaneers, finishing fourth at his position in snaps played. Pro Football Focus ultimately ranked him 21st among 77 qualifying guards, the first time since 2015 that he didn’t finish in the top-10.
Still, Mason showed that he’s clearly got something left in the tank entering his age-30 season, so it shouldn’t take long for him to find a new home.
The 2015 fourth-round pick made a name for himself in New England, where he won two rings during his seven seasons with the organization. He ranked in PFF’s top-five guards for four of those years, including a first-place ranking in 2018.
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