Bucs Interior O-Lineman To Receive Pay Bump In 2024

Based on OvertheCap.com, Robert Hainsey will be given a proven performance escalator (PPE) based on the playing time he has received in the first three seasons of his career. Because he started 96.5% and 100% of the team’s offensive snaps in 2022 and 2023, respectively, he will be considered a Level One PPE, which will raise his base salary to the Right of First Refusal tender.

With the NFL salary cap rising to $255.4 million for the 2024 league year, that means that the tender will have a value of $3,116,000.

For Hainsey, that is a big increase from his 2023 base salary of $1,096,944. He will be well-compensated for appearing in plenty of games, but the 25-year-old center will also be heading into a contract year. After the 2024 season, what could his outlook be, and will that mean playing more games in Tampa Bay?

Could 2024 Be Robert Hainsey’s Last Season With The Bucs?

While Robert Hainsey has not missed a game over the past two seasons, he has room for improvement when diving deeper into his performance. Per Pro Football Focus, Hainsey graded out as the 32nd-best center out of 36 eligible players.

It was a fair grade, as he struggled with inconsistency and holding his blocks in both the pass and run. It was a disappointing year, especially as he was looking to build off a 2022 season that saw him immediately thrust into a starting center role.

While he still has the chance to improve, it is not necessarily something that the Bucs can count on as they look to build their next contender. Having recently seen the impact of having an elite center with the personality to match, getting a center they can comfortably pencil in for years to come should be near the top of the team’s needs heading into free agency and the NFL Draft.

That is something that general manager Jason Licht addressed on Tuesday at the NFL Combine.

Free agency-wise, it is a tall, if not impossible, task to find someone who can come in and do what Ryan Jensen did for the Bucs. Instead, the hope would be that someone could come in and be an upgrade as a starter with some level of upside.

Although he is undersized at 6-foot-1, 294 pounds, Titans center Aaron Brewer is one option. Brewer excels as a run blocker and was ranked 11th in PFF center grades, but he does have a weakness in pass protection. His ceiling is capped due to his frame, but he would serve as one option to upgrade at the position.

Other potential veterans on the market are Rams center Brian Allen, who new offensive coordinator Liam Coen knows from his days in Los Angeles, or Cowboys center Tyler Biadasz. Biadasz has a lot of starting experience, having played in 61 games with 53 starts in four NFL seasons. He is more of a middle-of-the-pack center, grading out 14th by PFF, but could still have some untapped potential.

It also does not hurt that he has a Midwest background and could gel well with the likes of Tristan Wirfs, Luke Goedeke, and Cody Mauch.

If the Bucs choose to go through the NFL Draft, there are a handful of other options to consider. Pewter Report has extensively covered Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, who was at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis this week after starring during Senior Bowl week.

But he is not the only option.

Duke’s Graham Barton is someone who has positional versatility and could fit best as a center, while West Virginia’s Zach Frazier is a pure center with the talent to come in and be a starter.

Should the Bucs look to address the position, it does not fully close the door on Hainsey starting next season or being re-signed. Hainsey has shown the chops to play guard in a pinch and could be in the mix to play at left guard depending on how this offseason shakes out. At worst, he is a high-end backup who will not have a problem getting a new contract. For now, he will enjoy the fruits of his labor with a nice pay raise next season.