Bruce Arians hopes chance to repeat could entice free agents to stay with Bucs

Now that all of the partying and Lombardi-tossing has settled down, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will need to start preparing for next season if they hope to repeat as Super Bowl champs. And the biggest challenge the Bucs will be facing this offseason is the long list of players who are headed to free agency, including Shaq Barrett, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Ndamukong Suh, and Leonard Fournette.

How can Tampa Bay possibly expect to retain this much talent? In an interview on 95.3 WDAE Radio, head coach Bruce Arians said that he hoped that the Bucs would be able to entice players to comeback for the chance to win another Super Bowl, even if they were asked to take slightly less money than they might earn elsewhere.

"It's usually the money ... if it's close, I think our guys really want to stay," he said. "They know they have something special. I don't think any of them want to leave. I don't get involved in the dollars. I just let them know we want them back."

The operative phrase there is "if it's close." If the Bucs are able to field competitive offers, they could find a way to keep most or even all of these guys. But if they run out of cap space and are forced to make laughably low offers, guys like Barrett or Godwin may take the big payday over the chance to win another ring.