You have to imagine Connor Barth knew this was coming the moment the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a kicker in Round 2 of the 2016 NFL Draft. In the wake of the franchise’s decision to pick up Roberto Aguayo, Barth has been cut by the Bucs.
Scott Smith, who is the senior writer/editor for the team website, tweeted out the news on Monday:
The team also released Connor Barth, who set the Bucs' career record for FG % that Roberto Aguayo will try to break. https://t.co/2AHpjtLcBz
— Scott Smith (@ScottSBucs) May 2, 2016
It was really only a matter of time. Kickers don’t usually get drafted high, or at all, to begin with.
The Buccaneers thought an awful lot of Aguayo, who is coming off an incredible career at Florida State. He won the Lou Groza award for his on-field accomplishments, converting 88.5 percent of his field goals during three years of action.
Most notably, Aguayo has never missed a single field goal inside 39 yards. He also set FBS records with 157 points scored and 94 point after tries without a miss for the program’s 2013 national championship squad.
So, he’s good. That’s not a question. What was questionable was the decision by the Buccaneers to use a second-round pick to land him.
Once it happened, though, Barth was a goner. Thankfully he’s taking the unexpected career move like a champ.
Congrats to @_RobertoAguayo with @TBBuccaneers ..Hope you have a long career in #Tampa ! Hold it down man! @NFL @espn #respect 🙏🏻 #kickers
— Connor Barth (@contbarth) May 2, 2016
At the age of 30, and with plenty of success on his resume, Barth should land on his feet. Reliable kickers are in high demand.