The Pirates finished its brutal month of May with its first series win since April 29-30 as the team took two of three games in San Francisco. The Bucs then opened a nine-game homestand with a sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals. The Bucs have now won five straight games and are only 0.5 games out of first place in the NL Central.

Game 53: Pittsburgh 4, San Francisco 14

The Bucs turned to Rich Hill to rebound after a tough loss in Seattle. San Francisco would counter with Anthony DeSclafani. Other than a Tucupita Marcano lead-off double, the bats were quiet for both sides for the first inning and a half, but the Giants would quickly change that in the bottom of the second.

A Mitch Haniger single and Casey Schmitt double set the table to start the inning. Patrick Bailey’s two-RBI double would open the scoring before Brandon Crawford doubled in Bailey. Austin Slater would put the exclamation point on the inning with a two-run home run to make it 5-0 San Fran after two innings. The Pirates would get a run back in the third as Josh Palacios tripled and Austin Hedges drove him in via an RBI groundout.

The Giants would add on to its lead as Crawford singled to start the fourth inning. He would advance to second on a fielder’s choice before J.D. Davis singled him home. Hill would be done after gutting out five innings, allowing six runs. 

The Pirates would look to battle its way back into the game as Jack Suwinski blasted a solo homer into McCovey Cove to cut the deficit to four. Connor Joe would double, and Ji Hwan Bae would single, to really pressure the San Francisco lead. Rodolfo Castro grounded into an RBI fielder’s choice to cut the score the 6-3. Palacios and Hedges would both groundout to kill the Pittsburgh rally. 

The wheels would fall off the bus in the seventh as Cody Bolton would allow eight runs in just 0.1 of an inning. It would be 14-3 San Francisco after the seventh. Suwinski would launch his 11th homer of the season and second of the day into McCovey Cove to cut the lead to 10 in the ninth. The Pirates bad May continues.

Game 54: Pittsburgh 2, San Francisco 1

The Pirates would turn to Johan Oviedo to force a rubber match by the Bay as the Giants turned to opener John Brebbia. The Bucs would strike first as Joe launched a solo shot to left which chased the opener before the inning had even concluded. Sean Manaea would take over as the bulk man with two outs in the first.

The Giants would strike back almost immediately as a pair of walks led to a Michael Conforto RBI single. Oviedo would get Haniger to roll into a massive 5-3 double play to end the threat. Both arms would settle in until the Pirates re-took the lead in the top of the fifth. 

Castro and Jason Delay would rip back-to-back singles with one out to put runners on the corners. Castro advancing to third would prove massive as he would score on a Manaea wild pitch. His run would end up being the game-winning run. 

Oviedo returned for the fifth where LaMonte Wade Jr. doubled to begin the frame. After striking out Mike Yastrzemski, Derek Shelton would come get Oviedo in leu of Dauri Moreta. Moreta would walk Davis before getting the next two Giants, preventing the tying run from scoring.

Moreta would allow a single and get an out in the sixth before being replaced by Jose Hernandez. He would promptly get Bailey to line into an inning-ending double play. Hernandez would then get two outs in the seventh before giving way to Colin Holderman. He would get through the eighth inning clean leaving David Bednar three outs to get. Bednar would slam the door with a 1-2-3 ninth to secure the Pirate victory and force a series-deciding game three.

Game 55: Pittsburgh 9, San Francisco 4

The Pirates would send ace Mitch Keller to the mound looking for its first series win since late April. He would be opposed by San Francisco’s Alex Wood. The scoring would begin in the bottom of the second inning as Blake Sabol singled and Haniger walked to set up a Patrick Bailey RBI single. 

The April Pirates and their sense of punching right back would resurface in the top of the third. Ji Hwan Bae walked before Hedges bunted him to second. Andrew McCutchen would then tie the game at one with an RBI double. After a Bryan Reynolds groundout, Joe would be hit by a pitch, setting up a Castro RBI single. Ke’Bryan Hayes would break the inning open with a two-RBI triple making it 4-1 Pittsburgh. 

San Francisco would punch back in the bottom of the inning as Wade Jr. doubled and Davis singled to set up a Wilmer Flores RBI single. The lead was now cut to two but would not stay there for long. Bae would lace a one-out double before McCutchen worked a two=out walk. Following a double stela, Reynolds would drive in two with a single, growing the Pittsburgh lead to four.

The Giants would cut the lead to three in the fifth as Yastrzemski’s triple turned into a run following a wild pitch by Keller. The Bucs would once again punch back, getting two more in sixth. Bae and McCutchen singled before Reynolds rolled into an RBI force out. Joe’s 12th double of the season would plate Reynolds and make it 8-3 Bucs. Keller would allow once more run in the sixth before completing the inning and finishing his day.

A ninth-inning, Jack Suwinski RBI single would close the scoring and give the Pirates their ninth run of the game, pushing the score to 9-4. Rob Zastryzny, Moreta, Robert Stephenson and Yoah Ramirez all put in scoreless work out of the Pittsburgh bullpen. The Pirates would win its first series in May and head home with some momentum. 

Game 56: Pittsburgh 7, St. Louis 5

Roansy Contreras would get the ball to start the home stand for the Bucs as Jack Flaherty got the ball for St. Louis. The first two innings would pass with limited action before the Cardinal bats exploded in the third. After getting two quick outs, Contreras would blow up and the Cards would plate five two-out runs.

Tommy Edman got the hit party started with a double before Brendan Donovan launched a two-run home run. Paul Goldschmidt would immediately doubled following the homer and Nolan Gorman promptly singled him home. Nolan Arenado would cap off the offensive onslaught with a two-run homer of his own. St. Louis led 5-0 heading to the bottom of the third.

Contreras would gut out four total innings, allowing five runs on seven hits while striking out six. The Bucco bullpen would pick up his slack and end up tossing five shutout innings in relief of Contreras, starting with Zastryzny and Bolton tossing a combined 2.2 innings. Ramirez would extinguish a St. Louis bases-loaded threat in the top of the seventh as the Cards left them loaded for the third consecutive inning.

The sixth would see Hayes get the Bucs on the board with an RBI single, scoring Suwinski. It was in the bottom of the seventh is when things would really escalate for the Pirates offense. Marcano would lead off the inning with a double before McCutchen drew a one-out walk. Suwinski would walk himself to load the bases following a double steal by Marcano and McCutchen. Carlos Santana would then line a ground-rule double to left to cut the Cardinal lead to 5-3.

After Bae went down swinging in a long at bat, Hayes would give the Bucs the lead with a three-run homer to left. The Pirates would not be done there as Palacios would crush his first career MLB home run to give the Bucs an insurance run. The six-run seventh inning would see Pittsburgh lead 7-5 when it was all set and done. Holderman and Bednar went to work and it was a textbook ending for the setup man and closer as the Pirates won the series opener.

Game 57: Pittsburgh 4, St. Louis 3

Luis Ortiz would take the mound for the middle game of the series and look to secure a second consecutive series victory for the Pirates. Jordan Montgomery would oppose Ortiz for St. Louis. The scoring would start in the second when Wilson Contreras lined a solo home run to right center field. Two pitches into the third inning, the game would enter an hour-long rain delay. Ortiz would not continue following the delay and would post a final line of two innings, one run, one hit, two walks and a strikeout.

Angel Perdomo would make his Pirates debut and casually toss 2.1 perfect innings against St. Louis lineup. Freshly recalled Yerry De Los Santos would enter and finish the fifth as the Bucs still trailed 1-0. In the bottom of the inning, Hayes would come up big again as he tied the game with his second homer in as many games. 

Jose Hernandez would enter for the sixth and immediately find some trouble. After hitting Donovan with a pitch, Goldschmidt singled to put two runners on with no one out. Hernandez would get Gorman to fly out before giving way to Dauri Moreta. Moreta would get Arenado to flyout and Contreras to strikeout to end the threat.

Pittsburgh would begin the bottom of the sixth with traffic on the basepaths as Mark Mathias reached on an error by Arenado. Delay would sacrifice the pinch runner, Bae, to second before McCutchen grounded out. Reynolds would draw a two-out walk in front of Connor Joe who lasered a two-run double off the left field wall to put the Bucs ahead 3-1. Santana would add another run on a popup that found grass down the left field line off new Cardinal pitcher Jordan Hicks. Pittsburgh led 4-1 after six.

Moreta worked around a one-out double in the seventh to hand the ball to Holderman in the eighth. Goldschmidt singled with one out in the eighth which led to Gorman pulling the Cards within a run with a two-run home run over the Clemente Wall in right. After walking Arenado, Shelton went to get Holderman and replaced him with Ramirez. He was able to secure two pop outs and strand the tying run on first.

The Pirates threatened again in the bottom of the eighth as Reynold lined his 17th double of the season into the right field corner but was unable to score due to three straight strikeouts behind him. Bednar would enter for the ninth and got St. Louis to fly out three times around a Jordan Walker single to secure the 4-3 Pittsburgh victory and series win.

Game 58: Pittsburgh 2, St. Louis 1

Rich Hill took the hill against Miles Mikolas as the Pirates looked for the three-game sweep with an 11:35 a.m. EST first pitch. Hill worked around a leadoff Edman double in the first to keep the Cardinals off the board. 

The Pirates offense would get busy in the bottom of the inning as Reynolds and Suwinski slashed one-out singles. Hayes would single on a hard-hit ball to the right side to load the bases with two outs. Bae stepped in and delivered with a two-run single back up the middle to give the Bucs a 2-0 lead.

Hill would work around two baserunners in the second and third innings, then settle into the game. The veteran would retire 11 straight St. Louis hitters at one point before Andrew Knizner hit a solo homer to left in the seventh to cut the Pittsburgh lead to 2-1. After allowing a single to Edman, Hill would be replaced by Moreta. Hill’s final line would read 6.2 innings pitched, one run, four hits, three walks and six strikeouts.

Moreta would easily clean up the inning and send the Bucs to the eighth up a run. The Pittsburgh offense threatened all game, slashing 10 hits, including three from Hayes, but only mustered the two first-inning runs. Ramirez would get the opportunity for a hold in the eighth as Holderman was unavailable due to high pitch counts the past two nights.

Ramirez would get the heart of the Cardinal order to go 1-2-3 before hadnign the ball to Bednar for his third straight save opportunity. He would grab a flyout before Luken Baker dropped a bloop single into right. Bednar got Walker to flyout as well and then made Knizner look silly on a strikeout to end the game and secure the sweep for the Bucs.

General Notes:

• Robert Stephenson was traded this week to Tampa Bay for minor league shortstop Alika Williams
• Chris Owings was DFA’d and Cody Bolton was optioned to AAA
• Angel Perdomo and Mark Mathias were recalled
• Yerry De Los Santos was recalled then immediately optioned for Chase De Jong…I expect that move to be reversed soon as it was likely made due to bullpen fatigue
• Pittsburgh has the second-best bullpen ERA in the National League
• Top prospect Henry Davis was promoted to AAA Indianapolis

NL Central Standings

Weekly Awards

Hitter of the Week: Ke’Bryan Hayes – 9/29 (.311 AVG), 2 HR, 2 R, 7 RBI, 2B, 3B

Starter of the Week: Johan Oviedo – GS, 4.1 IP, ER, 5 K, 3 H, 5 BB,

Co-Reliever of the Week: Dauri Moreta – 4 G, 3.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 K, 2 H, BB

Co-Reliever of the Week: Yohan Ramirez – 4 G, 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 K, H, 0 BB

Co-Reliever of the Week: David Bednar – 4 G, 4.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 K, 3 H, 0 BB, 4 SV

Upcoming Schedule

vs Oakland A’s (12-49) – June 5-7

vs New York Mets (30-30) – June 9-11

The post The April Bucs Return in Huge 5-1 Week: 2023 Pittsburgh Pirates Week 9 appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell below .500 with a stunning 21-3 loss to the Carolina Panthers, who won their second game of the season Sunday despite playing with a third-string quarterback and interim head coach.

Brady was 32-of-49 passing for 290 yards for the Bucs (3-4). One of those incompletions came when a wide-open Mike Evans dropped what would have been a 64-yard touchdown on the third play of the game.

Brady hasn’t had a losing record this far into a season since the 2002 New England Patriots dropped four straight games to reach 3-4.

P.J. Walker threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns for Carolina (2-5) in place of injured Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. The Panthers won for the first time under interim coach Steve Wilks, who replaced Matt Rhule when he was fired Oct. 10.

Tampa Bay’s defense allowed the Panthers to rush for 173 yards. D’Onta Foreman ran for 118 yards, adn Chuba Hubbard added 63 yards and a touchdown.

Carolina came in as a 13 1/2-point underdog and having lost 12 of 13 games. It’s now one game behind the Bucs and Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South.

COMMANDERS 23, PACKERS 21

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense sputtered and Washington handed the Packers their third straight loss.

Nursing a sore thumb and out of sync with receivers, Rodgers was 23 of 35 for 194 yards and the Packers went 0 of 6 on third down. Green Bay (3-4) had just 232 total yards of offense to Washington’s 364 and lost Allen Lazard to a shoulder injury, making him the team’s third wide receiver to go down during the first losing streak under coach Matt LaFleur.

Rodgers finished the game face down on the turf after a failed final play that ended with him throwing a lateral out of bounds.

Washington’s front four also played a role in frazzling Rodgers and making him look more like a rookie than a 38-year-old four-time MVP. Only a series of penalties on the Commanders (3-4) made the game close in the final minutes.

Taylor Heinicke, making his first start of the season in place of injured Carson Wentz, threw for two touchdowns — including a perfect 37-yard pass to Terry McLaurin — and was 20 of 33 for 200 yards.

Heinicke got off to a rough start, going 1 for 7 — including an interception that De’Vondre Campbell returned 63 yards for a touchdown.

DOLPHINS 16, STEELERS 10

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa got Miami off to a fast start in his return from a concussion, and the Dolphins held on throughout a scoreless second half to beat Pittsburgh.

The Dolphins (4-3) snapped a three-game skid that began on Sept. 29, when Tagovailoa was concussed in a loss at Cincinnati.

Miami coach Mike McDaniel opted not to have Jason Sanders kick his fourth field goal of the game midway through the third quarter for a two-score lead. Chase Edmonds was stuffed for no gain on fourth-and-3 from the Pittsburgh 13.

The decision loomed large as Miami punted on its next five possessions. But the Dolphins intercepted rookie Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett twice in the closing minutes to seal it.

The Steelers (2-5) fell short a week after they held off Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home.

Tagovailoa finished 21 of 35 for 261 yards and an 8-yard touchdown pass to Raheem Mostert on the Dolphins’ opening drive. Miami added two field goals by Sanders to lead 13-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Pickett, who was cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol Friday, was 32 for 44 for 257 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions.

CHIEFS 44, 49ERS 23

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 423 yards and three touchdowns as Kansas City rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat San Francisco.

Mahomes got off to a rough start in this Super Bowl rematch with his early interception putting Kansas City (5-2) in a 10-0 hole. But he led the Chiefs to touchdowns on six of the next seven drives.

Mecole Hardman scored on two TD runs and an 8-yard catch, Justin Watson caught a 4-yard TD, and JuJu Smith-Schuster finished it off with a 45 yard catch-and-run. Clyde Edwards-Helaire also scored on a 16-yard run.

Kansas City improved to 13-9 with Mahomes when falling behind by at least 10 points, including the Super Bowl win over the 49ers (3-4) following the 2019 season.

The Niners (3-4) dropped back-to-back games despite getting a boost from the addition this week of running back Christian McCaffrey, who had 62 yards on 10 scrimmage touches in his San Francisco debut.

But San Francisco settled for three field goals and came up empty on another chance when Jimmy Garoppolo threw an interception at the goal line before Kansas City ran away with it in the second half.

GIANTS 23, JAGUARS 17

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Two New York defenders tackled Christian Kirk inside the 1-yard line as time expired to preserve the win over Jacksonville.

The Giants matched their best start since 2008. Quarterback Daniel Jones ran for a career-high 107 yards and a touchdown, turning to his legs to carry the Giants (6-1) down the stretch. He ran for 35 yards on a go-ahead drive and capped it with a 1-yard plunge after consecutive penalties by Jacksonville moved the ball inches from the goal line.

Jacksonville had a final shot and reached the New York 1-yard on Trevor Lawrence’s pass to Kirk. But Julian Love and Xavier McKinney stopped Kirk short of the goal line, even as Jaguars players tried pushing the pile into the end zone.

Lawrence finished 22 of 43 for 310 yards for reeling Jacksonville (2-5), which lost its fourth straight.

Saquon Barkley finished with 107 yards on 24 carries, and Graham Gano kicked three field goals for New York. Gano’s last one gave the Giants some breathing room.

JETS 16, BRONCOS 9

DENVER (AP) — Rookie Breece Hall ran for a 62-yard touchdown before leaving with a knee injury and surprising New York won its fourth straight by beating backup quarterback Brett Rypien and punchless Denver.

The Jets (5-2) are off to their best start since 2010, have their first four-game winning streak since 2015 and have already surpassed their win total from last year when they went 4-13. New York improved to 4-0 on the road.

The Broncos (2-5) lost their fourth straight despite another outstanding defensive performance as starting quarterback Russell Wilson sat out with a pulled hamstring.

Zach Wilson was held without a touchdown for the second straight week. He was 16 of 26 for 121 yards but did enough for the Jets to win.

Rypien went 24 for 46 for 225 yards and no touchdowns and threw a second-half interception. Rookie cornerback Sauce Gardner broke up Rypien’s fourth-down pass into the end zone to Courtland Sutton with just under 2 minutes remaining.

The Jets lost Hall to a left knee injury in the second quarter when he was tackled by Patrick Surtain II and Jonas Griffith after a short run. He was helped off the field and carted to the locker room. Coach Robert Saleh said after the game the initial diagnosis for Hall is an ACL injury.

RAVENS 23, BROWNS 20

BALTIMORE (AP) — Gus Edwards ran for two touchdowns in his first game back from a major knee injury, and Baltimore avoided another fourth-quarter collapse thanks to a couple huge Cleveland penalties.

The Ravens (4-3) led 23-13 after Justin Tucker’s 55-yard field goal with 11:24 remaining, but the Browns responded with a 2-yard touchdown run by Kareem Hunt to make it a three-point game. Then a fumble by Baltimore’s Justice Hill gave Cleveland the ball at its own 16 with 3:12 to play.

With the Browns driving, Amari Cooper was called for offensive pass interference, and a false-start penalty on a field-goal attempt forced Cade York to try it from 60 yards. His attempt was blocked by Malik Harrison with 1:59 remaining.

Cleveland (2-5) has lost four in a row.

Edwards missed all of last season and the first six games of this one, but he rushed for 66 yards scored on runs of 7 and 1. Baltimore remained tied with Cincinnati atop the AFC North.

The Ravens’ Lamar Jackson was sacked three times and threw for only 120 yards. The Browns’ Jacoby Brissett was 22 of 27 for 258 yards, but he was sacked five times and fumbled on one of them.

COWBOYS 24, LIONS 6

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Ezekiel Elliott ran for two 1-yard touchdowns and Dak Prescott threw for a score in his return from injury while Dallas leaned on its defense to beat Detroit.

The Cowboys (5-2) recovered Jamaal Williams’ fumble inside their 1 with a four-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Jared Goff was responsible for four other Detroit turnovers — he threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles.

Prescott was predictably ragged after missing five games with a fractured right thumb. He was 19 of 25 for 207 yards, while Goff was 21 of 26 for 228 yards. Goff’s first three turnovers led to the three Dallas touchdowns.

The Lions (1-5) got a solid showing for three quarters from the NFL’s worst defense, but coach Dan Campbell fell to 0-11-1 on the road with the Lions.

Elliott had 57 yards on 15 carries, and Tony Pollard rushed 12 times for 83 yards.

SEAHAWKS 37, CHARGERS 23

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Kenneth Walker III rushed for 168 yards and two touchdowns, Marquise Goodwin caught a pair of scores, and Seattle jumped out to a 17-point first-quarter lead and beat Los Angeles.

Geno Smith completed 20 of 27 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns, his fifth multi-TD game of the season. Jason Myers added three field goals for the Seahawks (4-3), who have won three of four and took a half-game lead in the NFC West.

Seattle led 17-0 late in the first quarter, its largest lead after 15 minutes since a win over New Orleans in Week 13 of 2013. It was the Seahawks’ largest road lead at the end of the first since 2000.

It was the third straight week the Chargers (4-3) fell behind by double digits in the first quarter. They rallied against Cleveland and Denver, but were unable to pull it off this time and had a three-game winning streak snapped. LA now trails Kansas City by one game in the AFC West.

Justin Herbert was 33 of 51 for 293 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, marking the second time in his career he has thrown at least 50 passes in consecutive games. Austin Ekeler had 127 scrimmage yards (96 receiving, 31 rushing) and a pair of touchdowns, giving him eight over the last three games.

TITANS 19, COLTS 10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Andrew Adams returned an interception 76 yards for the first pick-6 of his career, and Tennessee never trailed while completing its second straight sweep of AFC South rival Indianapolis.

The reigning two-time division champion Titans (4-2) won their fourth straight overall, and they’ve now beaten the Colts five straight times.

Randy Bullock made four field goals, the last two providing Tennessee’s first points this season in the fourth quarter. Bullock’s 48-yarder provided the final margin with 4:47 remaining.

The Titans forced three turnovers, the last on Michael Pittman Jr.’s fumble with 3:22 left. Jeffery Simmons also had one of three sacks for Tennessee.

Derrick Henry helped seal the win with his third straight 100-yard rushing game, finishing with a season-high 128 yards on 30 carries.

Matt Ryan went 33 of 44 for 243 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice. The Colts (3-3-1) saw their two-game win streak end.

BENGALS 35, FALCONS 17

CINCINNATI (AP) — Joe Burrow passed for 345 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as Cincinnati scored on its first four possessions to roll past Atlanta.

The Cincinnati quarterback played his best game of the season, finishing 34 of 42 for 481 yards and three touchdowns and running for a 1-yard score as the defending AFC champion Bengals (4-3) moved above .500 for the first time this season.

Receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd both eclipsed the 100-yard mark in the first half. Boyd finished with a career-high 155 yards on eight catches. Chase also caught eight passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

Marcus Mariota completed just eight passes for the Falcons (3-4), whose strong running game was also stymied by Cincinnati. Mariota threw for 124 yards and Atlanta generated only 214 yards of offense to the Bengals’ 537.

RAIDERS 38, TEXANS 20

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Josh Jacobs rushed for 143 yards and three second-half touchdowns as Las Vegas ran away from Houston.

In a battle of one-win teams coming off byes, the Raiders (2-4) dominated the Texans (1-4-1) after halftime, outscoring them 28-10 behind 227 yards of offense, including 98 from Jacobs on the ground.

Las Vegas, which erased a three-point, fourth-quarter deficit, scored on four straight possessions before safety Duron Harmon sealed the win by intercepting Davis Mills and returning it 73 yards for a touchdown.

Jacobs has rushed for 441 yards in his last three games. He became the first Raider to rush for more than 100 yards in three straight games since Napoleon Kaufman in 1997. It was his second career game with three rushing TDs.

Derek Carr completed 21 of 27 passes for 241 yards and a touchdown. Davante Adams had eight receptions for 95 yards.

Mills completed 28 of 40 attempts for 302 yards and two touchdowns, along with his pick-6 to Harmon. Dameon Pierce led the Texans’ rushing attack with 92 yards on 20 carries.

The post Panthers stun Brady, Bucs 21-3 as Tampa Bay drops beneath .500 | Sports activities appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The return of the Talisman of Tampa Bay for his 23rd campaign has big chances for the Buccaneers to secure another Super Bowl run in 2022. Tom Brady has some unfinished business and may very well achieve it all. The substantial dose of joy also brings in some Concern about his future. However, GM Jason Licht has made some clarity over the athlete’s stay in the Bay.

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Despite the Bucs’ collective bargaining agreement renovation and salary-cap wizardry over the last 2 weeks, one agreement remains intact; The same one that enables quarterback Tom Brady to become a top free prospect in the offseason. Brady just has one campaign left with Tampa Bay, and he may become a free agent by 2023. As for rumors circulating that he may want to end his career with the San Francisco 49ers, everything seems to be an enigma.

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Tom Brady’s chances in 2023

The media asked Buccaneers GM, Jason Licht, at the NFL Owners’ Meet; Questioning if there had been any discussions about elongating Brady’s tender further than this season. To no one’s surprise, he could not even say.

According to Mike Florio of the Pro Football Talk, Licht said to reporters on Monday, “We’re just happy that we have him back. We’ll see where it goes from here. We’re just happy he’s going to be playing for us this year, and we’ll see where it goes.”

Jan 24, 2021; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) celebrates with his teammates after beating the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

According to heavy.com, reporters asked Jason Licht as a follow-up if Tom-Terrific wants to be a free agent after this season. He responded clearly and unambiguously, saying that Brady should ask these questions.

DIVE DEEPER

“Would’ve turned every stone!” Bruce Arians Reveals Bucs’ Plans ‘If’ Tom Brady Never Returned

about 22 hours ago

Tom Brady earns $10,395,588 this year, with a cap charge of $20.27 million. Whether or not he’s on the team, he’ll be getting $24 million against the cap in the year 2023.

More rumors surround the return of Tom Brady

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Fans have been speculating about Tom Brady’s actions. During Brady’s retirement and ever since his return, there have also been some speculations that he wanted to play again for the next team, whether it was the 49ers, or in recent times, the Dolphins.

The athlete has reportedly headhunted numerous members to join him in Tampa Bay, implying that he is not considering playing for another team at this time. Tom Brady robbed Rob Gronkowski when he made his way to the Buccaneers in 2020. However, in recent times, the TE’s return in the 2022 season is still undecided.

NFL Football – Super Bowl LV – Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Kansas City Chiefs – Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida, U.S. – February 7, 2021 Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tom Brady celebrates with the Vince Lombardi trophy after winning the Super Bowl LV REUTERS/ Brian Snyder

If Brady will leave the Buccaneers in 2023, it will intrigue fans to see what the Buccaneers’ next move might be. Given the fact that Brady’s contract includes a no-tag clause. So, unless he signs a new contract, he’ll be a free agent in 2023. As of now, the Bucs management will be happy with the return of the GOAT, making the Tampa Bay line-up a legitimate Super Bowl contender for the upcoming 2022 season.

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Watch This Story: Colin Kaepernick, Baker Mayfield, Or Cam Newton: Which QB should the Seattle Seahawks Settle For?

The post Tom Brady 2023 Plans May Embrace Shifting Out of Tampa Bay as Bucs GM Clarifies Contract Scenario appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.