A month and a half after head coach John Gruden’s abrupt firing, heads continue to roll in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers cut ties with 5 players today, including long time Buc and 11 time Pro Bowler Derrick Brooks.
Also cut were wideouts Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard, running back Warrick Dunn and linebacker Cato June. While the decisions, especially Brooks’, came as a shock, the team timed the moves so the players can join the crop of free agents preparing to hit the open market at 12:01 am Friday morning.
The masacre as dubbed by fans in Tampa, will also help the team get younger, as 4 out of the 5 were in their mid 30′s and older than new Buc head coach, Raheem Morris. Brooks (36) is coming off his 11th Pro Bowl season, Dunn (34) was in his second stint with the Bucs, Hilliard (32) spent 4 years with the team, and Galloway (37) was plagued by injuries and will consider retirement.
The cuts saved the rebuilding Bucs, already $50 million under the salary cap, an extra $10 million for the upcoming free agent signing period and figure to be one of the top shoppers in the market.